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Iliowizi,  Henry,  1850-1911. 
Jewish  dreams  and  realities 
contrasted  with  Islamic  and V 


JEWISH  DREAMS  AND  REALITIES 


CONTRASTED   WITH 


ISLAMITIC  AND  CHRISTIAN  CLAIMS. 


BY 

/ 

HENRY  ILIOWIZI. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 

1890. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1890,  by 

HENRY  ILIOWIZI, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


ileMcrttunn 


LOVINGLY    INSCRIBED 

TO    THE 

SAINTED    MEMORY 

OF 

MY    BLESSED    PARENTS, 

ELIJAH   AND   DINAH. 

H.   I. 


PREFACE. 


A  perusal  of  this  work  will,  it  is  hoped,  sufficiently  justify 
its  raison  d'etre.  We  are  not  aware  that  the  modernized 
Goliath,  Jeroboam,  and  Apion  have  condescended  to  offer  the 
Jew  an  apology  for  rough  treatment.  We  shall,  however,  let 
our  readers  judge  whether,  in  our  critical  strictures,  we  for 
one  moment  have  deviated  from  the  beaten  highway  pointed 
out  by  historical  facts.  We  have  earnestly  endeavored  to  give 
to  Caesar  what  is  Caesar's ;  but  we  have  not  hesitated  in  restor- 
ing to  Jehovah  what  is  unquestionably  His.  Let  there  be  no 
doubt  as  to  the  relation  of  Judaism  to  mankind.  In  the  inter- 
est of  truth  and  justice  we  should  combine  our  efforts  to  repel 
baneful  aggression,  to  clear  the  Jewish  name  of  calumny,  de- 
fine our  position  as  the  lineal  descendants  of  the  patriarchs,  and 
emphatically  reiterate  our  message  to  the  race.  As  faithful 
Jews  our  mission  is  great  and  glorious.  The  pressing  duty  of 
the  hour  is  to  teach  the  son  of  Israel  to  know  and  respect  him- 
self, to  distinguish  between  the  humane  and  the  inhuman  non- 
Jew,  and  to  live  up  to  the. ideas  and  the  ideals  of  an  illustrious 
ancestry.  A  plain  statement  of  "  Jewish  Dreams  and  Keali- 
ties"  contrasted  with  "Islamitic  and  Christian  Claims,"  while 
it  is  likely  to  strike  here  and  there  a  discordant  note  in  the 
heart  of  intolerant  zealotism,  may  at  the  same  time  contribute 
to  strengthen  that  growing  cordiality  which  of  late  brightens 
the  intercourse  between  progressive  Judaism  and  enlightened 
Christianity. 

In  writing  these  pages  fairness,  candor,  and  veracity  have 
been  steadily  kept  in  view.  Whether  justice  has  been  done 
to  all  topics  touched  upon  is  not  for  us  to  decide.  A  general 
but  brief  survey  naturally  precludes  exhaustive  treatment. 
Our  claim  rises  no  higher  than  to  have  satisfied  a  good  mo- 
tive ;  and  whatever  the  effect  this  book  may  produce  on  the 
reader,  its  industrious  elaboration  has  left  the  author  a  happier 

son  of  his  race. 

H.I. 

Philadelphia,  March,  1890. 

(5) 


CONTENTS. 


I.  INTRODUCTION. 

An  editor  causes  many  to  speak. — Paucity  of  general  information  on 
Judaism. — Numerous  Jews  who  know  not  why  they  are  Jews. — 
Ignorance  the  cause. — Enlightenment  the  remedy. — Plain  speech 
necessary. — Vastness  of  the  fields  to  be  entered. — Difficulty  to  sin- 
gle out  beauties. — A  wealth  like  that  of  the  starry  heavens  ....     15 

II.  MOHAMMED'S  SINGULAR  DREAM. 

Carlyle  no  friend  of  the  Jews. — Denies  them  the  gifts  of  grace  and 
humor. — Would  not  rank  them  among  his  heroes. — Neglects  to 
refer  to  Mohammed's  Jewish  secretary  and  mother. — Original 
claims  of  Jesus  and  Mohammed. — Illiteracy  of  Mohammed  and 
of  the  Christian  apostles. — Jacob's  ladder  and  his  vision. — Moses 
in  the  skies. — Ezekiel's  first  vision. — Tales  from  the  Talmud. — 
The  tree  as  a  symbol  in  Hebrew  literature. — In  Northern  mythol- 
ogy.— Mohammed's  dream. — Gabriel  awakens  him. — Al  Borak. — 
Mohammed's  journey. — Some  incidents.— Whom  he  meets  at  Zion's 
Temple.— He  ascends  heaven.— The  first  heaven. — He  meets 
Adam. — The  second  heaven. — He  meets  Noah. — The  third 
heaven. — What  he  sees  therein. — The  fourth  heaven. — The  angel 
of  death. — Description  of  the  fifth  heaven. — Fable  of  Phseton  and 
the  sun-god. — The  angels  of  the  sixth  heaven. — The  dream  be- 
trays Pharisaic  sources. — Ibn  Gabirol's  apostrophe. — Mohammed 
meets  Moses  in  the  sixth,  Abraham  in  the  seventh,  heaven,  but 
Jesus  he  meets  nowhere  above. — Bliss  and  denizens  of  the  seventh 
heaven. — What  the  prophet  sees  there. — Whom  he  meets. — The 
number  seven. — Islam's  paradise. — Jewish  conception  thereof. — 
Mohammed  in  face  of  Allah. — His  reception. — His  charge. — The 
profession  of  faith. — Carlyle  on  Arab  and  Hebrew. — Is  welcome  to 
Mohammed  as  his  hero. — The  prophet  and  his  creed 19 

III.  THE  HEBREW'S  GREATEST  VISION. 

Grave  questions.— Rare  types  of  mind. — They  impress  cycles. — 
Rule  mankind. — Who  they  are. — Israel's  claim. — Deep  longings  of 
man. — The  powers  that  rule. — Secret  of  national  greatness. — Worth 
of  the  Old  Testament  to  mankind. — Immortality  an  ancient  He- 
brew dream. — Hebrew  sanity  forbears  painting  mysteries. — Phar- 
isaic fancies. — Heathen  cosmogonies. — In  the  Orient. — In  Greece. — 
Version  of  man's  creation. — Its  morale. — The  Eddas  on  God,  uni- 
verse, and  man. — Grandeur  of  Hebrew  cosmogony. — Compatible 

(7) 


with  science. — Light  its  beginning. — Ibn  Gabirol  and  Milton. — 
Rise  and  progress  of  the  universe. — Man's  fall  misinterpreted. — 
Immortality  implied  in  the  origin  and  nature  of  the  human  soul. — 
The  Jew  craves  no  admission  to  the  orthodox  Christian  paradise. — 
His  consciousness. — Man  is  like  his  gods 35 

IV.  OUR  PROPHET'S  DREAM. 

General  belief  in  divination. — Among  the  Spanish  Moors. — Among 
barbarians. — In  old  Rome. — In  Greece. — Influence  and  nature  of 
heathen  oracles. — Their  decline  and  fall.— Hebrew  prophecy. — Its 
origin  and  antiquity. — Misinterpreted  by  non-Jews.— Our  view 
of  it. — Samuel  founds  the  prophetic  school. — The  prophet's  mes- 
sage.— His  individuality. — All  in  awe  of  his  monitions. — Nathan 
and  David. — Peter  the  Hermit  and  Luther. — Power  of  the  proph- 
et's authority. — Elijah's  career  and  his  end. — A  reference  to  Jesus. — 
Elijah's  mythical  nature — Great  Hebrews  compared  with  others. — 
What  it  means  to  he  a  Jew. — Universality  of  our  prophecy. — The 
Messianic  dream. — The  true  and  the  false  prophet.— Why  the  Jew 
is  preserved. — The  mystic  and  the  poetic  in  prophecy. — Universal 
freemasonry.— Ezekiel's  vision  of  the  dead  valley. — Its  lesson. — 
God's  Unity  our  prophet's  and  poet's  ideal.— Rabbinism  uncon- 
genial to  living  prophecy. — Good  and  evil  resulting  from  rigid 
Talmudism. — It  worked  on  Judaism  "as  papacy  on  Christianity. — 
Beneficial  change  of  the  times. — A  religion  of  living  ideals,  not 
of  dead  forms. — The  men  we  need  to  realize  the  prophet's  dream,     55 

V.  OUR  POET'S  DREAM. 

No  distinct  line  to  be  drawn  bet  ween  I  i  ehrew  prophecy  and  poetry. — 
The  Bible  an  epic  poem.— A  description  of  the  prophet. — The 
world  could  dispense  with  anything  save  our  Bible. — It  is  a  uni- 
versal mirror. — A  wonderful  picture  gallery. — Paints  man  as  he  is, 
favoring  none. — Poetry  the  Hebrew's  second  nature. — Deborah, 
Hannah,  Moses,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  have  all  poetic  veins. — 
What  they  are  singing  of.— Sappho.— Our  poet's  inspiration. — Car- 
lyle  on  Job. — No  misfortune  to  be  misunderstood. — The  world 
would  not  reason  with  Israel. — An  old  infatuation. — How  the  Jew 
judges  the  non-Jew,  and  how  he  is  judged. — None  but  a  Hebrew 
could  write  Job  and  the  unsurpassed  lyric. — Hundred  and  fifty 
lyrics. — What  our  lyrics  teach.— Must  be  read  in  Hebrew. — Some 
verses  translated  by  Milton  and  Byron. — Difficulty  of  translating 
Hebrew. — Hebrew  letters  in  the  starry  heavens. — An  allegory  of 
Hebrew  letters.— The  104th  Psalm.— Wisdom  of  Job— George  Gil- 
fillan  on  the  Bible. — Post-Biblical  poetry  among  Jews. — More 
pathetic  praying  than  singing  during  the  Dark  Ages. — No  absence 
of  sweet  singers. — Liturgy  a  mine  of  poetry. — Rabbi  Amnon. — 
An  echo  of  earlier  poetry. — Verses  of  Ibn  Gabirol,  Moses,  Ibn 


9 

Ezra,  and  Jehudah  Halevy. — A  Hebrew  Dante. — Jewish  and  non- 
Jewish  poetry. — "Das  Judenthum  in  der  Musik."  Wagner's  in- 
gratitude toward  Meyerbeer.— Meyerbeer,  Mendelssohn,  and  Wag- 
ner compared. — Halevy's  music. — The  Jew  as  mimic. — Anton 
Rubinstein 69 

VI.  A  GLANCE  AT  THE  TALMUD. 

Rareness  of  true  freedom. — Habit  of  thought  and  seltish  interest  two 
powerful  motives. — Truth  bound  to  win  in  time. — How  Providence 
works.— The  beginnings  of  the  Talmud. — It  preserved  Israel's 
identity. — Its  object. — A  means  of  aggression  and  defense. — His- 
torical importance  thereof. — A  great  work,  though  it  retards  the 
progress  of  Judaism. — Covers  many  centuries. — Treats  of  all 
topics.— A  reliable  record. — Hateful  to  the  church. — Conflicts  with 
the  records  of  the  gospels. — Disproves  the  crucifixion  as  recorded. — 
Some  facts  which  tell. — The  sciences  of  the  age  noticed  therein. — 
The  Halachah,  the  Haggadah,  and  the  Midrashim. — A  dispute  of 
rabbis. — A  wonderful  tale  with  a  lesson. — Legend  of  King  David's 
death. — Inconsistencies  accounted  for. — Different  view  on  Gen- 
tiles and  women. — A  variety  of  sayings. — Superstitions. — Thomas 
Aquinas'  problem.— Tertullian  on  hell. — Talmudical  fancies  of 
hell.— Not  accepted  in  its  literal  meaning. — More  of  this  topic. — 
Similarity  of  Jewish  and  Mohammedan  fancies. — A  description 
of  the  nether  world.— Belief  in  good  and  evil  angels. — Of  resur- 
rection.— The  paradise  of  the  Pharisee. — Ibn  Gabirol  on  immor- 
tality.— Elijah  in  tradition 89 

VII.  THEIR  MESSIAH  AND  OUR  IDEAL. 

A  wonder  in  the  annals  of  error. — Its  fearful  consequences. — The 
few  who  have  sight  redeem  this  world. — The  Jesus  myth  unknown 
to  history. — Dealings  of  the  church. — Why  the  Jews  did  not  accept 
Jesus.— The  argument  of  Celsus. — Renan  and  Celsus. — History  of 
the  primitive  church. — Schism  and  heresy. — Numerous  sects  and 
gospels.— Every  sect  fitting  the  gospel  to  its  views.— Complaints  of 
Eusebius. — Unscrupulous  church  fathers. — Justin  Martyr's  state- 
ment.—Fraud  admitted  by  Grotius. — The  church  standing  on 
miracles. — Immorality  in  her  fold. — Felicimus  a  specimen  of  the 
kind. — Gibbon's  regret. — Rome  honors  Judaism  but  suspects  Chris- 
tianity.— Origin  of  the  blood  accusation. — Disputes  in  the  church 
about  the  conception,  birth,  and  nature  of  Jesus. — Singular  dis- 
cussions.— Arianism  rejected  by  the  council  of  Nice. — Jesus  a 
supreme  divinity. — A  question. — Gibbon  on  the  church. — What 
she  has  done  in  the  name  of  the  "  prince  of  peace." — How  matters 
developed. — Strauss  speaks  plain. — A  change  for  the  better. — 
Christian  humanity  versus  Christian  barbarism. — Israel's  Mes- 
sianic ideal. — He  of  whom  the  prophet  dreamt. — Refers  to  Israel 


10 

only.— The  Talmud  on  the  Messiah.— Messianic  times  rather  than 
a  person.  -  Maimonides  on  the  Messianic  cycle.— It  is  an  allegory,  a 
Utopia.— Kabbalah  differs.— Not  endorsed  by  sane  Judaism.— Man 
his  own  Messiah.— His  position,  faculties,  and  progress  prove  it.— 
His  great  possibilities— Theory  of  the  church.— Human  achieve- 
ments.—Man's  prospects.— His  humane  tendencies  prevail.— Israel 
hails  the  brighter  era.— Hopes  to  see  his  Messianic  dream  fulfilled,  109 

VIII.  OUR  MYSTIC  VISION. 

Definition  of  mysticism.— Source  of  Jewish  mysticism.— Author  of 
the  Zohar  —  A  literary  curiosity.— The  author  in  dead  earnest  — 
His  drift— The  En-Soph—  How  He  works.— The  Sephiroth  — 
Question  of  originality.— Greek  mythology  and  the  Gnostics.— 
The  Logos—  Philo's  Divine  Sophia—  Philo's  ethical  ideal.— The 
Kabbalist  borrowed.— Haggadic  traditions.— The  mission  of  Mata- 
tro7i.-B.ovf  the  universe  was  framed— The  operative  agents- 
Three  principles  in  man's  nature.— Good  at  war  with  evil.— Pre- 
existence  of  souls.— Are  here  on  probation.— An  old  idea.— Samael's 
bright  prospects.— AVhen  Messiah  will  come.— Effects  of  Kabbalah 
on  Judaism.— It  is  antagonized.— It  furnishes  apostates.— A  remark- 
able Theosophy—  Surprising  in  detail.— Originality  not  always  a 
test  of  literary  merit.— Wise  assimilation  a  great  gift.— The  Kab- 
balist's  ideal— Judaism  favors  not  mysticism— Mysticism  conge- 
nial to  the  church— Her  first  delight  with  Kabbalah.— Why  she 
gave  it  up.— Kabbalah  superior  to  any  mystic  system.— The  philo- 
sophical and  the  religious  mystic— Serious  thought  begets  mysti- 
cism.—The  transcendentalist  a  mystic— Spiritual  responsiveness  — 
Moses  had  a  vein  of  the  mystic— Whither  our  mystic  dream 
tends.— A  spiritual  Genesis.— Spencer's  "  cosmos  "  as  dark  as  that 
of  the  Kabbalist—  En-Soph  is  Elohim—  Given  a  poetic  garb  what 
Kabbalah  would  be— A  wonder  tissue— A  heavenly  dream  .    .    .    129 

IX.  HILLEL,  PHILO,  AND  JOSEPHUS. 

Curse  of  falsehood.— Josephus  and  Apion  —  Josephus  on  the  nature 
of  God.— Philo's  assumption  as  to  the  relation  of  Greek  to  Hebrew 
wisdom.— Important  facts.— Josephus  on  Moses.— His  doubtful 
references  to  Jesus  and  apostles.— Interpolations  made  it  worse.— 
Josephus  on  Israel's  defamers—  On  Greek  historians  and  Greek 
history.— Forgeries  of  Dion  Cassius  —  What  is  true.— Authenticity 
of  Jewish  history.— Josephus,  Hillel,  and  Philo  teach  loftier 
ideals  than  the  church.— Hillel  milder  and  wiser  than  Jesus  — 
Jesus  turned  into  a  Moloch— Nothing  save  the  preposterous  orig- 
inal in  his  teachings.— Hillel  on  life.— His  first  effort  to  obtain 
knowledge.— His  benignant  personality.— His  impression  on  Ju- 
daism—Shammai's  different  temper.— Hillel's  definition  of  Juda- 
ism.—His  patience  and  prudence.— His  view  of  Divine  Grace.— 


11 

His  benevolence,  faith  in  Providence,  and  his  Nirvana.— His  ethi- 
cal sayings. — Shows  courage  in  reforming  evils. — His  method  of 
interpretation. — His  influence  on  posterity. — Did  his  duty. — 
Worked  for  humanity. — Philo's  ideal. — Philo  on  the  Old  Testa- 
ment.— Sees  in  it  more  than  Hellenic  philosophy. — How  Alexan- 
drian Jews  read  Scripture. — Philo's  system.— Aryan  jealousy. — 
What  it  may  yet  unearth. — The  privilege  of  genius. — Wherein 
Philo's  mind  is  settled. — A  philosophy  substantially  Jewish. — 
How  Hellen  and  Hebrew  meet. — Distance  between  the  Hebrew 
and  the  Greek  thinker. — Philo's  definition  of  God. — Finds  won- 
ders in  Mosaism. — How  God  built  the  universe. — Divine  Wisdom 
the  intermediary. — More  than  coincidence  of  Philonic  and  Kab- 
balistic  ideas. — Another  difference  between  Greek  and  Jewish 
thought. — Philo  on  Hebrew  cosmogony. — Nobler  than  Spinoza. — 
A  dreamer  and  thinker. — Reads  Scripture  as  Copernicus  and  Her- 
schel  read  the  heavens. — Definition  of  genius. — The  times  out  of 
joint. — What  the  age  worships. — Wherein  Philo  excels. — Kabbalah 
indebted  to  him. — How  he  peoples  the  universe. — His  view  of  . 
man. — What  man  is  here  for. — How  he  might  reach  his  goal. — Im- 
mortality.— Transmigration. — Importance  of  Josephus,  Hillel,  and 
Philo. — General  remarks 143 

X.  OUR  PHILOSOPHIC  REALITIES. 

Nature  of  Jewish  philosophy. — Subject  of  its  contemplation. — Sets 
no  limit  to  free  thought. — Assimilates  whatever  compatible  with 
its  ideals. — Applies  reason  and  allegory. — Saadia  places  reason 
next  to  revelation. — On  allegories  and  miracles. — Hai,  his  follow- 
er.— Commends  reflection. — His  view  on  Deity. — Avicebron's  sys- 
tem.— He  anticipates  Giordano  Bruno. — Avicebron's  Theology. — 
His  philosophy. — Bruno  follows  him. — Jewish  and  modern 
thought. — Halevy's  thought. — Defines  Israel's  position  among  the 
nations. — Ibn  Ezra. — Founder  of  Biblical  criticism. — Reason  links 
man  to  God. — A  Jewish  rationalist. — In  advance  of  his  times. — 
Works  of  Maimonides. — Favors  sound  intelligence. — Interprets 
prophecy. — Defines  evil. — A  beautiful  thought. — Semitic  serenity 
different  from  Aryan. — Void  in  the  Aryan  soul. — Rousseau,  Schop- 
enhauer, Goethe,  Darwin,  Spencer,  and  Haeckel. — Goethe's  Faust 
his  own  picture. — The  church  affords  no  consolation. — Points  to 
myth  and  miracle. — Hates  free  thought. — What  Judaism  did  and 
Christianity  failed  to  do. — A  word  of  Emerson. — Times  of  Ibn 
Adereth. — Allegorizes  supernatural  revelation.  How  God  re- 
•  vealed  Himself  to  Israel. — Gersonides  questions  creation  ex-ni- 
hilo. — Assumes  Reason  to  be  the  agent  of  the  Infinite. — Albo's 
thought. — Defines  the  object  of  religion. — Allegorizes  hell. — Ques- 
tions bodily  resurrection. — Mendelssohn's  Phsedon. — His  Jerusa- 
lem.— Advocates  separation  of  church  from  state. — Kant  predicts 


12 

its  realization.— Little  Moses  versus  big  Pharaohs.— The  church 
hopes  against  hope.— Free  states  humaner  than  the  church.— Men- 
delssohn on  the  universality  of  Judaism.— On  ceremonies.— On 
Theocracy  in  Israel.— The  need  of  ceremonies.— Drift  of  Jewish 
philosophy.— Man's  position  on  earth.— The  world  he  rules.— His 
mental  faculties.— His  goal  below.— Earth  among  the  stars.— Re- 
lation of  this  to  other  worlds.— The  grave  not  the  end.— Argu- 
ment,—Man's  immortal  gifts.— Man's  position  in  the  universe  de- 
pends on  his  career  below.— Ideas  in  support  thereof 163 

XI.  ISRAEL'S  GOD  AXD  HIS  LAW. 

What  Israel  sees  in  the  Divine  Law.— What  it  is  to  other  nations- 
Theocracy.— Jewish  hopes.— Moses  compared  with  other  law- 
givers.—Thor  and  Skyrmir.— Good  advice.— Sunny  illumination 
better  than  artificial.— Greece  and  Rome  unprepared  to  under- 
stand Moses.— Greek  and  Hebrew.— The  Twelve  Tables.— Judaism 
irreconcilable  with  polytheism  and  trinitarianism  —  Christian 
claims.— Their  inconsistency.— Results  tell.— Spencer  on  Christian 
society.— S.  Harris  on  this  subject.— A  view  of  Emerson.— Modern 
jurists  ignore  or  slight  the  Divine  Law.— Austin  on  revelation.— 
Bentham's  maxim.— Where  its  application  would  lead.— Justice 
unyielding  to  numbers.— Difference  between  Divine  and  human 
laws.— Archbishop  Nicanor  on  Moses.— Henry  George  and  Jo- 
hannes von  Mueller  on  Moses.— Meaning  of  "Thou  shalt  not 
kill."— Violated  by  the  church. —Value  of  human  life  in  Israel- 
Lynch  law  and  judicial  bribery.— Shylock's  treatment,— Christian 
men  and  women  better  than  orthodox  Christianity.— Authenticity 
of  the  Divine  Law.— Origin  of  Jewish  home  virtues.— The  Jew's 
home,  his  Holy  of  Holies.— Corrupt  dignitaries  of  the  church- 
Meaning  of  "  Thou  shalt  not  steal."— The  Ecclesia  breaks  it.— In- 
cites man  against  man.— Promotes  war  instead  of  peace.— Europe's 
armaments  look  not  Messianic— The  church  not  opposed  to  blood- 
shed.—She  heeds  not  the  Ten  Commandments.— The  Decalogue 
an  epitome  of  the  Divine  Law.— Huxley  on  religion.— What  the 
modern  jurist  may  learn  of  Judaism.— A  chief  justice  on  the  Mo- 
saic legislation.— Utters  truth  and  error.— Revolting  inferences  of 
Christian  Theology.— Its  doubtful  triumphs.— Love,  justice,  and 
humanity  in  the  Pentateuch— Christian  laws  far  behind.— The 
golden  rule.— Moses  describes  Israel's  God.— His  absolute  jus- 
tice.—Ideal  humanity.— Attributes  of  God.— A  story  with  a  les- 
son.—Israel's  relation  to  God  and  man.— Great  social  problems 
solved  by  the  Divine  Law.— Enjoins  human  equality.— Inalienable 
right  of  person  and  property.— In  advance  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tionists.—Man's  birthright  and  heritage  inviolable.— The  church 
has  no  dream  of  this  kind.— The  Divine  Law  upholds  Theocratic 
government.— The   first   President  in    history.— Spencer,   Locke, 


13 

and  Humboldt  on  government. — Not  ahead  of  Judaism. — Jewish 
patriotism. — What  Israel's  vitality  suggests.— Israel's  conscious- 
ness.—Legend  of  the  "  Wandering  Jew."— A  type  of  his  race- 
Logic  and  policy  of  the  church.— The  Jew  destined  to  wander- 
Principle  versus  policy  the  keynote  of  Jewish  history.— The  Di- 
vine Law,  an  immovable  rock.— Its  adherents  invulnerable.— 
Signs  of  the  times.— Errors  of  the  church.— Judaism  her  basis. — 
Harmony  of  the  old  faith.— The  Sanhedrim— Its  criminal  juris- 
prudence.—Its  proceedings.— The  evidence  it  required.— Intense 
anxiety  to  do  justice.— Its  dread  of  bloodshed.— Humane  meas- 
ures to  deaden  the  pain  and  terror  of  execution. — Jewish  tribunals 
at  this  hour.— Many  Christians  prefer  it  to  their  own  courts    ...  183 

XII.    OUR   ETHICAL  REALITIES. 

The  principle  of  judging  correctly.— The  weight  of  facts  —Without 
facts  no  claim  can  stand.— Strauss  and  Renan—  What  Renan's  "Ah, 
me  "  implies.— Moral  superiority  of  Judaism  over  Christianity  test- 
ed by  facts.— The  one  a  success,  the  other  a  failure.— Application  of 
Lessing's  critical  remark.— Without  the  Jewish  element  what  re- 
mains of  Christianity ?— The  Jew's  claim.— Wherein  he  glories- 
Antiquity  of  our  ethical  realism.— Mosaism  more  than  the  sum  of 
all  ethical  codes.— Buddha's  Nirvana.— Its  beauty.— Gloomy  ten- 
dency of  Aryanism  —  Human  happiness  the  end  of  the  Divine  . 
Law.— The  Jewish  Nirvana.— Sublimity  of  the  Law's  ethics  — 
What  they  are  teaching.— Wisdom  the  end  of  Judaism.— The  gos- 
pels commend  ignorance.— The  revealed  Law  good  for  all  times, 
all  men.— Its  application  tested  and  found  perfect.— Canon  Free- 
mantle  on  the  Hebrew's  ideal.— A  bishop  on  the  impracticable- 
ness  of  Christianity  as  a  religion  of  life.— The  good  Jew  can  do  what 
the  good  orthodox  Christian  cannot  do.— Ethical  sayings  of  va- 
rious lights  in  Israel.— A  work  of  golden  rules.— Jewish  and  Chris- 
tian views  of  life.— A  word  of  Jesus.— The  curses  of  Lucas.— Re- 
pugnant to  Israel's  sanity.— Words  of  wisdom.— Judaism  more 
solicitous  about  the  relation  of  man  to  man  than  of  man  to  God. — 
Woman  degraded  by  primitive  Christianity.— She  stands  high  in 
Israel.— What  church  worthies  thought  of  womanhood.— The 
"virginity  of  the  cleric."— Marriage  and  family  unholy  in  the 
eyes  of  the  church.— Dr.  Donaldson  on  the  subject.— Jewish 
wealth  in  ethics.— The  seven  WTise  of  ancient  Greece.— Sum  of 
their  wisdom.— Socrates  looks  in  vain  for  what  Moses  found. — 
Perfection  a  Jewish  ideal.— Philo  superior  to  More  and  Locke  — 
The  old  and  the  new  in  ethics 207 

XIII.  A  VIEW  OF  JESUS  ;  OUR  SPIRITUAL  REALITIES. 

Principles  of  architectural  beauty.— Ancient  and  modern  writers  on 
the  art— ^Esthetics  applied  to  ideal  powers.— Assumed  superiority 
untenable.— Ridicule  provoked    by   incongruity.— The  Mikado's 


14 

fall. — Frederick  and  Voltaire. — Moliere's  Tartuffe. — Truth  ever 
equal  to  self. — The  fatality  of  falsehood. — Incongruity  of  orthodox 
Christianity. — Jesus  contradicts  himself. — Substitution  of  Sunday 
for  Sabbath,  an  afterthought. — Noble  Christianity  not  antagonized 
by  Judaism.— It  is  welcome  to  the  Jew.— Affords  prosperity  and 
happiness. — The  class  to  be  antagonized. — The  enemies  of  peace. — 
A  Catholic  editor's  view  on  Robert  Browning. — Three  aspects  of 
Jesus. — The  historical  view. — A  generous  enthusiast  of  a  vivid  im- 
agination.— Deluded  by  dreams.— Open  to  conceit.— Goes  too  far 
to  return.— Gives  offense  to  public  sentiment. — Roman  jealousy. — 
The  Jews  do  not  the  wisest  thing.— Left  to  himself,  the  "  Mes- 
siah "  would,  like  many  after  him,  have  passed  away. — Blood  has 
its  effect.— General  state  of  things  favorable  for  a  new  religion. — 
Necessary  consequences. — The  mythical  Jesus. — Legends  of  his 
birth  and  youth. — Frequency  of  miracles. — More  merciful  than  his 
Father.— Revolting  idea  of  God. — Ludicrous  inconsistency.— A 
fearful  fire-brand. — The  "  prince  of  peace." — His  paradise  doubt- 
ful— His  hell  a  certainty. — What  happened  since. — The  symboli- 
cal Jesus. — Views  of  liberal  Christians. — Rational  conceptions. — 
A  reformer  providentially  sent. — The  Unitarian  standpoint  en- 
couraged by  Judaism. — Important  questions. — Claim  of  the  Deca- 
logue on  liberal  Christianity. — The  Sabbath. — Church  and  Syna- 
gogue.— Jewish  idealism  and  heroism. — Judaism  ashamed  of  its 
gores  _N0t  as  bad  as  represented. — Jewish  consistency. — Object  of 
the  Sabbath.— Divine  Unity  an  ecstasy.— Nature  of  Jewish  Holy 
Days. — Spiritual  symbols.— Friday  eve  at  the  Jewish  home. — 
Passover. — What  it  symbolizes. — Pentecost. — Its  double  signifi- 
cance.— Feast  of  Tabernacles. — Its  lesson. — The  "  Awful  Days." — 
Their  spiritual  sublimity. — Triumph  of  spirit  over  body. — Spirit- 
ual realities.— Sweetest  of  dreams.— Meditation 223 

XIV.  CONCLUSION. 

The  author's  doubt  as  to  whether  justice  has  been  done  to  all  sides.' — 
Whittier's  Christianity.— The  Times'  editor  on  Jews.— Golden  op- 
portunities the  church  has  lost. — Israel's  grateful  generosity. — 
Great  modern  Christians. — What  friendliness  might  have  done. — 
Christianity  responsible  for  a  world  of  evil  before  the  world's  tri- 
bunal.—Transcendency  of  Religion.— Its  degradation  by  the 
church. — With  whom  is  truth  ? — Israel's  doubts. — What  the 
dogma  did. — Maxims  of  crescent  and  cross. — Of  Judaism. — Essen- 
tial teachings  of  Moses,  Jesus,  and  Mohammed  contrasted. — Juda- 
ism denies  hell. — Believes  in  retribution. — Human  right. — God's 
mercy  for  all  men. — Pleading  Abarbanel. — Object  of  Jewish  phi- 
losophy.—Man. — Philosophical  meditation. — Here  and  hereafter,  241 


APPENDIX. 
Talmudic  Mythology 255 


CHAPTER   I. 
IKTKODLTCTION. 

Not  very  long  ago  an  enterprising  editor  of  a  periodical 
caused  many  a  spiritual  light  to  think  out  some  plausible  rea- 
son, why  he  chose  to  be  the  votary  of  his  particular  creed,  in- 
stead of  adhering  to  any  other.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  a 
representative  of  the  olden  faith  was  requested  to  state  un- 
equivocally, Why  he  was  a  Jew.  He  gave  his  reason,  and 
the  Jewish  and  non- Jewish  press  disseminated  his  precious 
statement  as  a  piece  of  information  on  a  subject  on  which  in- 
formation is  rather  scarce,  and,  what  is  more  to  be  regretted, 
not  much  in  demand.  For,  to  tell  the  unvarnished  truth,  the 
number  of  Jews  who  know  why  they  are  Jews  is  consid- 
erably less  than  those  who  do  not  know  whether  it  is  wise 
to  belong  to  a  minority  who,  in  matters  ethical  and  spiritual, 
often  differ  widely  from  the  vast  majority ;  whether  the  dif- 
ferences are  insurmountable,  and  wherein  they  consist.  These 
questions  we  propose  to  answer  to  the  best  of  our  ability  by 
sketching  Jewish  ideals,  dreams,  and  realities,  with  critical 
references  to  kindred  religions  which  are  advancing  superior 
claims.  Every  civilized  nation  is  making  strenuous  efforts  to 
inspire  its  rising  generation,  by  acquainting  youth  with  the 
glorious  achievements  of  its  past.  The  modern  Jew  alone 
seems  to  furnish  an  exception.  It  is  useless  to  hide  sores  and 
ignore  facts.  The  time  when  from  Dan  to  Beer-Sheba  there 
was  not  a  faithless,  ignorant  Israelite,  is  a  sweet  vision  of  the 
past.  At  present  we  have  to  encounter  both  ignorance  and 
infidelity,  and  our  every  endeavor  must  be  in  the  direction  of 
enlightenment. 

Let  there  be  light.  Let  the  Jew  study  his  history  and  liter- 
ature, let  him  realize  his  grave  responsibility  toward  his  fellow- 
man.     Ancient  Greece  had  Homer's  songs  compiled,  and  caused 

(15) 


16 

them  to  be  taught  in  schools  and  recited  in  public  places. 
Virgil's  great  poems  on  the  foundation  of  Carthage  and  Rome 
were  the  song  and  glory  of  the  old  Roman,  and  proved  the  in- 
spiration of  Italy's  greatest  bard,  Dante.  The  Chinese  delight 
in  reciting  the  moral  sayings  of  Confucius.  How  many  Jews 
are  prepared  to  recite  the  Ten  Commandments,  are  conversant 
with  the  golden  rules  of  our  Scriptures  ?  The  Germans  have, 
of  late,  enlarged  the  bounds  of  their  magnificent  literature  by 
olden  epics,  weird  tales  of  the  Nibelungen,  telling  of  Sieg- 
fried's adventures,  of  Chriemhild's  and  Brunhild's  jealousy  and 
vengeance,  and  of  Hagen's  desperate  valor.  Even  semi-bar- 
barous Russia  is  gathering  wondrous  legends  similar  to  the 
Sagas  of  ancient  Scandinavia,  all  calculated  to  throw  lustre  on 
the  present  and  serve  as  an  example  for  the  emulation  of  pos- 
terity. The  Roman's  highest  distinction  was  to  be  a  Roman. 
The  son  of  Albion  is  proud  of  his  nationality.  American 
blood  thrills  at  the  sight  of  the  stars  and  the  stripes.  The 
Catholic  and  Protestant  parade  the  symbols  of  their  faith  be- 
fore the  world,  and  send  their  missionaries  to  the  ends  of  earth. 
But  there  are  Jews,  so-called  enlightened  Jews,  who  neither 
know  their  God  nor  their  history;  who  represent  nothing,  live 
for  nothing  in  this  world ;  and  would,  were  it  possible,  alter  their 
very  features  to  hide  their  parentage.  If  we  cannot  change 
this  class,  we  should  embrace  every  opportunity  to  remind 
them  of  the  filial  debt  they  owe  to  heroic  forefathers  and  the 
risk  to  which  they  expose  their  children  by  allowing  them  to 
grow  up  like  weeds,  breaking  every  association  with  a  history 
of  four  thousand  years. 

We  have  a  brilliant  heirloom  to  boast  of.  Our  ideal  Judaism 
is  synonymous  with  immutable  truth.  Shall  we  tacitly  allow 
inferior  influences  to  supersede  the  Divinest  of  ideals  ?  Forbid 
it  God,  that  we  lay  ourselves  open  to  the  charge  of  such  a  base 
ignominy.  We  should  not  hesitate  to  emphasize  our  claim, 
that  mankind  is  everlastingly  indebted  for  its  highest  blessings 
to  the  eternal  race.  Facts  there  are  to  sustain  our  position. 
Judaism  is  invaded  from  within  and  from  without,  and  the  time 
has  come  for  us  to  speak  plainly.  We  have  been  wronged,  are 
being  wronged,  and  Jewish  manhood  requires  us  to  protest,  to 


17 

say  why  we  are  Jews,  instead  of  being  Christians  or  Moslems. 
Our  object  is  less  to  show  the  weaknesses  of  our  daughter  creeds, 
than  to  exhibit  some  of  the  rare,  transcendent  beauties  of  our 
unalloyed  faith. 

Instead  of  following  the  paved  road  of  strict  system  and 
method,  we  are  going  to  imitate  the  bee  in  hurrying  from 
flower  to  flower,  gathering  the  honey  from  each  petal,  then 
serve  it  up  freely  to  all  who  desire  to  partake  thereof.  Our  em- 
barrassment is  flowery  exuberance,  which  makes  choice  difficult. 
The  kingdom  of  our  God  embraces  all  the  Edens  and  all  the 
stars,  all  the  precious  mines  and  all  the  treasure-houses.  To 
which  store,  to  which  jewel,  give  preference  above  the  others  ? 
There  is  such  an  abundance  of  wonder-things  in  the  immense 
vault  we  are  on  the  point  of  entering,  that  the  eye  is  dazzled 
by  the  splendor  of  the  inestimable  hoards,  and  the  mind 
shrinks  from  the  idea  of  computation.  Thus  let  us,  unchained 
by  time-honored  regularity,  sweep,  as  the  eye  does,  from  the 
Orion  to  the  Zodiac,  from  the  Lesser  Bear  to  the  Greater  Bear, 
thence  to  the  other  constellations,  and  finally  lose  ourselves  in 
the  nebulae  of  the  Milky  Way,  where,  according  to  the  sky- 
reading  Herschel,  there  are  at  least  twenty  million  suns,  each 
one  warming  and  sustaining  a  group  of  planets  and  satellites, 
yet  in  all  making  up  but  a  limited  number  in  the  immensity 
of  the  heavenly  hosts. 

We  deem  it  prudent,  however,  to  enter  that  sacred  vault 
from  a  side  door,  not  from  fear  to  avail  ourself  of  the  grand 
main  portal,  but  simply  to  satisfy  an  individual  penchant,  that 
ever  chooses  the  side  prospective  as  the  proper  view  to  start 
with.  A  fair  survey  of  the  matter  in  all  its  lights  and  bear- 
ings will  necessitate  frequent  change  of  aspect,  the  standpoint 
always  remaining,  however,  within  the  periphery  of  which 
Judaism  is  the  centre. 


CHAPTER   II. 

MOHAMMED'S   SINGULAR  DREAM. 

The  brilliant  but  ferociously  aggressive  Thomas  Carlyle  was 
no  particular  admirer  of  Jews,  whom,  among  other  charges, 
he  gravely  accuses  of  poverty  in  the  quality  of  humor,  which 
he  justly  considers  indispensable  to  greatness.  Among  great 
Hebrews  he,  therefore,  finds  no  hero  worthy  of  his  worship. 
Carlyle  tried  hard  to  steer  clear  of  the  difficulty  of  excluding 
the  Jew  from  his  Parthenon  of  heroes.  Nor  did  he  ever  miss 
a  chance  to  deal  the  Semite  an  effective  blow.  It  is  sincerely 
hoped  that  the  deep  but  uncharitable  Carlyle,  in  his  aversion 
to  the  descendants  of  Shem,  was  consistent  enough  to  refuse 
to  bend  the  knee  before  Jesus,  whose  emphatic  claim  was  to 
be  the  Jew  of  the  Jews ;  an  honor  his  ancient  brethren  re- 
spectfully denied.  However,  in  kneeling  before  Mohammed, 
Carlyle  is  doing  violence  to  his  consistency  and  sincerity  by 
ignoring  the  fact  that  Islam  is  the  cunning  fabric  of  the 
prophet's  private  secretary,  the  humorous  Jew,  Habdallah; 
not  to  forget  the  hitherto  un refuted  assertion,  that  on  his 
mother's  side  the  founder  of  the  Mosque  was  actually  a  Jew. 
Why  does  that  honest  author  pass  over  all  this  in  silence? 
Having  seen  one  Jew  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  god,  and 
many  others  canonized  and  worshiped  as  saints,  we  are  per- 
fectly willing  to  yield  the  half  or  the  whole  of  the  "last 
prophet"  to  whomsoever  it  pleases  to  claim  him,  bodily  or 
otherwise.  But  when  all  essential  facts  are  dilated  upon,  why 
are  the  Jewish  secretary  and  mother  of  Mohammed  not  even 
mentioned?  The  erratic  Scotchman,  we  suspect,  knew  all 
about  it,  but  he  grudged  us  the  honor,  and  we  forgive  him 
this  small  error,  having  warmed  our  heart  with  the  rays  of  his 
eccentric  genius.  Peace  be  with  you,  brave  Thomas.  Our 
cause   is    undamaged.      Christianity  and   Mohammedism    are 

(19) 


20 

there,  and  Judaism  was  there  long  before  and  is  there  still, 
challenging  comparison.  We  state  an  indisputable  fact  when 
we  say,  that  neither  Jesus  nor  Mohammed  originally  claimed 
any  higher  mission  than  that  of  merely  reforming  the  faith  of 
Abraham  and  Moses ;  and  we  are  not  unprepared  to  show  that 
every  deviation  was  an  afterthought  dictated  by  policy.  We 
are  about  to  analyze  Mohammed's  celebrated  vision,  as  an  in- 
stance of  the  patchwork  of  which  Islam  is  made  up.  If 
Jesus  had  a  special  love  for  those  who  are  "  poor  in  spirit," 
Mohammed  was  one  of  them ;  for  in  order  to  teach  him  to 
read,  the  angel  Gabriel  had  to  adopt  the  singular  method  of 
knocking  him  down  thrice  and  pulling  him  up  again,  an  an- 
gelic method  which  leaves  one  in  doubt  whether  it  is  not  bet- 
ter  to  be  educated  by  man  rather  than  by  angels.  The  serious 
objection  to  that  kind  of  compulsory  education  is  that  in  the 
prophet's  case  it  signally  failed.  Mohammed  never  learned 
to  read  well,  in  which  particular  he  is  the  peer  of  the  first 
Evangelical  teachers,  all  of  whom  gloried  in  their  illiteracy, 
especially  John,  who  was  the  favorite  of  Jesus. 

Jacob's  ladder  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  allegories  known. 
Fleeing  from  the  vengeance  of  Esau,  Jacob  finds  himself 
alone  in  the  wilderness,  where,  with  a  stone  as  his  pillow  and 
heaven's  canopy  as  his  roof,  he,  uneasy  in  mind,  lies  down  to 
sleep,  and  has  a  marvelous  dream.  A  ladder  bridges  over  the 
boundless  space  which  separates  earth  from  the  stars ;  angels 
are  ascending  and  descending,  while  from  the  ladder's  top  the 
Lord  utters  one  of  the  sweetest  promises  human  ear  ever 
heard:  Jacob's  descendants  shall  spread  in  all  directions,  east, 
west,  north,  and  south,  and  be  the  blessing  of  the  race. 
The  meaning  of  this  dream  a  child  can  see.  The  God  of  the 
patriarchs  is  to  be  one  day  the  Lord  of  all  men,  and  Israel's 
seed  is  destined  to  spread  the  Monotheistic  faith,  thus  redeem- 
ing the  world  from  barbarism  and  idolatry. — Equally  beautiful 
and  pregnant  is  the  tradition  that  Moses  spent  forty  days  and 
forty  nights  in  the  skies  in  order  to  secure  the  Law  for  Israel, 
neither  drinking  nor  eating,  but  engaged  in  deep  meditation 
and  in  discussion  with  angels,  who  were  sorry  to  see  the 
Thorah  go  down  to  earth  ;    meaning   that  all   the   precious 


21 

things  contained  in  the  Pentateuch  were  dear  and  sacred  to 
the  powers  above. — Ezekiel,  in  his  first  vision,  on  the  banks  of 
the  river  Chebar,  in  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans,  where,  among 
the  exiles,  the  inspiration  of  The  Lord  comes  over  him,  gives 
ns  this  mystic  picture  of  the  Divine  Presence :  He  sees  a 
storm-wind  break  forth  from  the  north,  followed  by  a  mighty 
cloud,  a  flaming  fire,  and  a  great  effulgence,  in  the  midst  of 
which  the  lik'eness  of  four  seraphim  is  visible,  each  one  hav- 
ing four  wings  and  four  faces— these  representing  the  face  of 
a  man,  of  a  lion,  of  an  ox,  and  of  an  eagle ;  they  move  con- 
jointly with  animated  wonder-wheels  of  the  color  of  the  crys- 
tallite, with  the  appearance  as  "  though  it  were  a  wheel  in  the 
middle  of  a  wheel."  A  vault  of  purest  crystal  rises  over 
their  heads ;  above  the  vault  stands  a  throne  of  sapphire,  and 
upon  it,  wrapt  in  overpowering  glory,  is  "  the  appearance  of 
the  likeness  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord."  From  that  throne  of 
Divine  effulgence  the  prophet  receives  his  charge.  This  vision 
is  at  the  bottom  of  Kabbalistic  Theosophy. 

The  Talmud,  of  which  we  shall  say  more  hereafter,  con- 
tains fabulous  allegories  hyperbolically  told,  which  the  wise 
alone  understand.  What  is  known  as  the  Haggadali  is  a  deep 
mythology,  which  causes  the  fool  to  laugh  and  the  thinker  to 
wonder.  A  distinguished  teacher  in  Israel  tells,  in  Baba 
Bathra,  some  startling  tales,  which  are  elsewhere  very  in- 
geniously interpreted.  While  sailing  on  the  high  seas,  lie  saw 
an  ocean  monster,  a  fish  of  such  prodigious  magnitude  that, 
though  the  vessel  swept  onward  with  the  velocity  of  an  arrow, 
it  required  three  days  and  three  nights  to  sail  between  the 
upper  and  lower  fins  of  the  tremendous  leviathan.  He  also 
heard  the  billows  converse,  one  asking  the  other  if,  in  its 
whelming  sweep,  it  had  left  aught  unsubmerged,  in  which 
case  it  would  finish  the  work  of  destruction ;  to  which  the 
seaward  recoiling  wave  made  answer,  that  the  wonderful 
Creator  having  set  a  limit  to  the  ocean,  it  had  found  it  im- 
possible to  encroach  on  it,  even  to  the  breadth  of  a  hair.  The 
ethical  hint  is  clear. — The  same  rabbi  tells  of  a  bird  he  had 
seen,  by  the  name  of  Zig,  standing  on  the  ocean's  bottom,  his 
crest  reaching  to  the  topmost  sky,  finding  the  unfathomed 


22 

deep  too  shallow  to  bathe  therein.  A  mysterious  voice,  how- 
ever, warned  the  seafarers  that  the  spot,  so  far  from  being 
shallow,  was,  on  the  contrary,  so  abysmally  deep,  that  a 
hatchet  having  been  dropped  there  seven  years  before  was 
still  in  the  process  of  falling,  it  being  tossed  about  by  the 
mighty  surge. — In  the  Midrash  it  is  said  that  The  Almighty 
entering  paradise,  where  the  just  dwell  in  bliss,  the  trees 
breathe  heavenly  odors,  sing  and  praise  The  Lord,  when  the 
cock  awakens  and  in  seven  different  strains  signalizes  the  en- 
trance of  Divine  Majesty,  calling  in  Biblical  and  post-Biblical 
phrases  on  humanity  to  rise  and  study  the  Divine  Law. — In 
our  poetry,  prophecy,  and  tradition  the  tree  is  often  made  to 
symbolize  vigor,  prosperity,  beauty,  wisdom,  and  immortality. 
The  Eden,  wherein  Adam  and  Eve  spent  their  honeymoon, 
was  lost  to  them  through  the  forbidden  fruit — they  have  eaten 
of  the  tree  of  knowledge. — In  foretelling  the  future  of  Joseph, 
Jacob  prophetically  sees  him  nourish  as  a  "  fruitful  bough  by 
a  spring,  a  fruitful  bough  the  branches  of  which  run  over  the 
wall."  So,  in  his  first  lyric  song,  does  our  poet  of  poets  com- 
pare the  meditating,  righteous  mind  with  "  a  tree  planted  by 
rivulets  of  water,  that  yieldeth  the  fruit  in  its  season,  whose 
leaf  does  not  wither,  and  whose  yield  is  exuberant."  Dream- 
ing the  dream  of  Messianic  peace  and  felicity,  our  pious  fore- 
fathers speak  of  a  time  when  the  trees  shall  daily  produce  de- 
licious sweetmeats  and  silken  garments. 

Whether  or  not  Mohammed  had  some  intimation  of  Northern 
mythology  it  is  impossible  to  decide;  but  it  seems  not  out  of 
place  to  refer  here  to  the  Northern  myth  of  the  stupendous 
ash-tree  Ygdrasil,  which,  however,  in  meaning,  as  well  as  in 
magnitude,  throws  the  tree  of  the  Arab's  vision  into  insignifi- 
cance. Ygdrasil  is  the  tree  which  supports  the  whole  universe, 
a  tree  rooting  in  the  body  of  Ymir,  the  giant  Frost,  who  is 
fed  by  the  cow  Audhumbla.  Ygdrasil  has  three  immeasurably 
long  roots,  one  of  which  extends  to  the  abode  of  the  gods, 
called  Asgard,  a  region  to  be  approached  only  by  ascending 
Bifrost,  the  rainbow,  and  in  whose  centre,  more  glorious  than 
all  celestial  dwellings,  stands  Walhalla,  the  golden  palace  of 
Odin  or  Wodin,  the  All-Father ;  the  other  root  reaches  down 


23 

to  the  city  of  the  giants,  Jotunlieim,  a  species  of  Titanic 
monsters  personifying  the  elements ;  the  third  root  shoots 
down  to  the  dark  abysses  of  Niftieheim,  the  regions  of  dole  and 
darkness.  Three  goddesses,  Urdur,  Yerdandi,  and  Skuld — 
past,  present,  and  future — carefully  nurse  the  root  that  termi- 
nates in  Asgard ;  the  one  running  to  the  city  of  the  giants, 
Jotunlieim,  is  fed  by  Ymir's  well,  wherein  live  wit  and  wis- 
dom ;  while  that  descending  to  hell,  or  ISTiffieheim,  feeds  Nid- 
hogge,  the  venomous  adder  or  death,  who  is  unceasingly  gnaw- 
ing at  the  root.  Here  is  as  deep  an  allegory  as  imagination 
ever  created.  Now,  let  us  see  if  there  be  anything  original  in 
Mohammed's  night  trip  to  the  seven  heavens,  themselves  a 
fancy  bodily  taken  from  Jewish  tradition. 

The  leading  traits  of  Mohammed's  journey  to  the  topmost 
heaven,  and  to  the  very  presence  of  Allah,  are  as  follows :  We 
are  assured ,  by  the  most  devout  of  his  historians,  that  on  the 
night  of  that  great  nocturnal  revelation  the  darkness  of  Erebus 
kept  earth  in  dead  silence,  the  barking,  howling,  hooting,  and 
crowing  of  beast  and  fowl  being  supernaturally  silenced ;  that 
even  nature  bade  her  elements  suspend  their  functions,  so 
that  sea,  lake,  wind,  and  forest  were  all  hushed  in  profound 
quiet.  In  the  dead  of  that  dead  night  a  heavenly  voice 
called  on  Mohammed  :  "  Arise,  thou  sleeper !  "  was  the  angelic 
cry.  On  opening  his  eyes  the  prophet  was  startled  at  the  sight 
of  a  luminous  angel,  robed  in  dazzling  garments  studded  with 
pearls  and  embroidered  with  gold,  and  soaring  on  wings  of 
light  and  beauty.  It  was  the  well-known  angel  Gabriel, 
who  held  the  bridle  of  Al  Borak  (meaning  lightning),  but 
actually  a  horse  of  a  most  strange  appearance,  nature,  and 
speed ;  a  white  mare,  with  the  face  of  a  man  but  the  cheeks  of 
a  horse,  with  eyes  shining  as  stars  and  wings  studded  with 
precious  jewels.  The  aesthetic  combination  of  a  human  face 
with  the  cheeks  of  a  horse  is  in  itself  sufficient  to  discourage 
every  attempt  to  seek  poetry  in  the  grotesque  vision.  If  Al 
Borak  is  a  copy  of  Ezekiel's  seraphim  it  is  a  poor  one  indeed. 
The  prophet  was  ready  to  mount  the  steed,  but  the  steed  was  not 
ready  to  receive  him,  protesting  that  the  only  great  figure  she 
thought  worthy  of  bestriding  her  was  the  patriarch  Abraham, 


24 

whom  she  once  bore  on  his  way  to  see  his  son  Ishmael ; 
Al  Borak  is  thus  a  very  old  mare  of  the  heavenly  stables, 
older,  though  less  interesting  than  Balaam's  ass.  Gabriel  as- 
sures the  steed  that  no  worthier  person  ever  bestrode  her  than 
was  Mohammed,  none  so  beloved  and  honored  of  Allah.  At 
this  assurance  inspiration  comes  over  Al  Borak,  who  exclaims  : 
"  Is  not  this  the  author  of  the  profession  of  the  true  faith  % " 
Here  the  angel,  in  a  becoming  encomium,  extols  Mohammed  at 
the  expense  of  all  other  prophets.  Mohammed  Ibn  Abdallah, 
of  the  tribes  of  Arabia  Felix,  and  of  the  true  faith,  was  the 
greatest  of  Adam's  progeny,  the  seal  of  the  prophets  ;  without 
his  intercession  nobody  can  enter  paradise ;  heaven  and  hell 
obey  him ;  woe  to  them  who  .would  not  recognize  the  true 
prophet.  This  is  a  daring  coup  d'etat  against  the  pretensions 
of  the  resurrected  Jesus,  who,  we  are  reliably  informed,  on 
reappearing  to  some  of  his  disciples  said :  "  All  the  might  of 
heaven  and  earth  are  vested  in  me."  Some  of  those  disciples 
doubted  the  appearance  as  well  as  the  claims  of  their  master ; 
not  so  Al  Borak,  who,  taking  advantage  of  so  good  an  oppor- 
tunity, beseeches  the  angel  to  cause  Mohammed  to  secure  her 
admission  to  the  paradisical  pasture  grounds,  which  promise 
the  prophet  favorably  grants,  and  the  ride  begins.  Horse  and 
rider,  accompanied  by  Gabriel,  dart  their  flight  heavenward, 
sweep  over  desert,  mount,  and  forest  until,  passing  Mount  Sinai, 
the  angel  causes  him  to  descend  and  pray.  The  next  descent 
is  made  at  Bethlehem,  the  birthplace  of  Jesus,  a  questionable 
reverence  if  one  considers  the  chasm  that  forever  separates  the 
rival  apostles,  the  distance  between  the  Church  and  the  Mosque. 
Three  times  Mohammed  is  urged  to  stay  his  course,  but  Al 
Borak  could  not  be  checked,  and  this  not  without  good  reason ; 
for,  according  to  Gabriel's  information,  the  first  appeal  came 
from  a  Jew,  whom  to  obey  would  have  been  to  deliver  Islam 
to  Judaism  ;  the  other  voice  was  of  a  Christian,  who,  in  urging 
him  to  stay,  had  a  like  unholy  end  in  view ;  the  third  voice 
was  of  a  beautiful  damsel,  signifying  worldliness,  whom  to 
obey  would  have  been  to  undermine  the  spiritual  standing  of 
the  new  faith. 

Having  escaped  all  these  temptations  Mohammed  stops  at 


25 

the  Temple  of  Zion,  fastens  Al  Borak,  and  enters  to  pray.  His 
joy  may  be  easily  imagined  on  finding  here  Abraham,  Moses, 
and  Jesus,  who  give  him  a  cordial  welcome,' and,  having  prayed 
a  while,  he  beholds  a  ladder  of  light  descend  from  heaven  and 
rest  its  foot  on  the  Shakra,  the  stone  on  which  Jacob  had  his 
vision  in  the  wilderness.  To  meet  Abraham,  Moses,  and 
Jesus  in  a  dream,  praying  in  the  Temple  of  Zion,  is  certainly 
conceivable ;  not  so  that  meeting  of  Jesus  with  Moses  and 
Elijah  at  noontide,  with  no  purpose  whatsoever.  Even  a  mira- 
cle ought  to  imply  some  object,  else  it  is  unworthy  of  any 
notice.  The  ladder  was  the  manifest  invitation  for  the 
prophet  and  the  angelic  escort  to  ascend,  which  they  did  as 
quick  as  lightning,  landing  at  the  gate  of  the  iirst  heaven. 
As  a  good  sentinel,  the  keeper  of  that  portal  had  first  to  be  sat- 
isfied in  every  particular  before  admission  was  granted ;  this 
having  been  successful,  prophet  and  angel  are  soon  in  the 
cerulean  regions.  Of  course  there  is  much  to  be  seen.  The 
first  heaven  is  all  pure  silver,  from  which,  by  golden  chains,  the 
stars  are  suspended,  each  guarded  by  an  angel  against  the  in- 
trusion of  demons,  who  are  ever  lurking,  ready  to  seize  the 
lirst  opportunity  to  do  some  mischief.  Here  Mohammed 
meets  father  Adam,  whom  he  is  commanded  to  reverence,  in 
return  for  which  Adam  embraces  him,  saluting  him  as  the 
greatest  of  prophets.  Lucifer  was  neither  as  wise  nor  as  for- 
tunate as  the  apostle,  for,  on  declining  to  do  homage  to  Adam, 
the  rebel  spirit  was  forever  ejected  from  heaven.  But  this 
first  firmament  has  a  somewhat  zoological  aspect,  its  denizens 
being  animal-angels  pleading  before  Allah  for  their  less  blissful 
prototypes  in  the  nether  world.  The  prophet's  attention  is 
soon  caught  by  the  appearance  of  an  enormous  cock  of  dazzling 
whiteness,  whose  height  and  crest  touch  the  second  heaven, 
though  it  is  a  five  hundred  years'  journey  distant  from  the 
first.  The  crowing  of  this  bird  is  a  sweet  melody  which,  on 
every  morrow,  delights  the  ear  of  Allah,  awaking  at  the  same 
time  all  creatures  on  earth,  when,  in  unison,  all  fowls  of  the 
like  kind  join  him  in  singing  Allah's  praise. 

The  second  heaven  is  soon  reached,  and,  after  an  exchange 
of  compliments  with  the  gate-keeper,  the  prophet  finds  himself 


26 

on  a  vault  of  brilliant  steel,  and  is  heartily  saluted  by  Noah 
as  the  greatest  of  prophets.  The  third  heaven  is  too  glorious 
for  the  human  eye  to  endure ;  all  is  of  pearls,  sapphires,  and 
emeralds  ;  but  the  object  of  wonder  therein  is  an  angel,  entirely 
too  long  to  be  measured,  with  two  fearful  eyes  separated  by 
a  distance  of  a  seventy  thousand  days'  journey.  He  was,  more- 
over, a  general,  whom  a  thousand  armed  battalions  of  inferior 
angels  obeyed,  and  an  important  recorder,  before  whom  lay 
a  ledger  of  astounding  dimensions,  in  which  he  continually 
entered  new  names  and  erased  others.  This  was  Azrael,  the 
angel  of  death,  who  enjoyed  the  fullest  intimacy  with  Allah, 
and  whose  business  it  was  to  enter  the  names  of  such  as  were 
to  be  born  and  blot  out  such  as  have  reached  the  end  of  the 
span  granted  them. 

Ascending  the  fourth  heaven  he  finds  it  to  be  of  the  purest 
silver.  Among  its  angelic  hosts  there  is  one  cherub  whose 
height  is  a  five  hundred  days'  journey,  and  whose  counte- 
nance is  sadly  troubled,  rivers  of  tears  rushing  from  his  eyes ; 
he  it  is  whose  mission  consists  in  weeping  streams  over  hu- 
man frailty,  in  incessantly  uttering  evil  predictions  for  the 
wicked ;  a  poor  mission  indeed  for  such  a  stately  cherub.  The 
fifth  heaven  is  a  decided  improvement  on  the  other  four,  it 
being  of  the  purest  gold,  radiant  with  oceans  of  fire.  Aaron  was 
at  hand  to  salute  the  visitant  as  the  last  and  greatest  prophet. 
But  the  golden  environments  are  here  greatly  marred  by  the 
terrific  presence  and  aspect  of  the  presiding  angel  who  rules 
the  element  of  fire,  and  is  the  messenger  of  vengeance.  Why 
the  peace-loving  Aaron  should  have  such  a  horrible  neighbor 
is  hard  to  conceive,  unless  it  be  a  punishment  for  the  golden 
calf  he  unwillingly  shaped  for  backsliding  Israel.  But  O,  such 
company !  A  Medusa  in  features,  that  celestial  monster  has 
rolling  eyes  flashing  lightning,  a  visage  of  copper,  all  covered 
with  warts  and  boils  and  other  bad  things,  and  he  wields  a 
flaming  lance  too  hot  and  too  long  for  us  to  measure ;  but  it 
was  not  the  longest  thing  the  prophet  had  seen.  His  throne 
is  a  mountain  of  lire,  surrounded  by  heaps  of  red-hot  chains. 
We  are  urged  to  be  grateful  that  that  terrific  prince  of  fire 
and  vengeance  is  not  allowed  to  pay  us  a  visit  here  under  the 


27 

cool  moon,  since  his  flames  would  consume  the  mountains,  dry 
up  the  oceans,  spoil  many  a  farmer's  crop,  and  thus  render 
life  miserable.  He  is  the  chief  of  that  legion  of  angels  who 
wreak  Divine  vengeance  on  such  as  do  not  believe  in  the  mes- 
sage of  Mohammed.  A  fitter  type  of  Islam's  faith  and  his- 
tory, written  with  blood  and  steel,  it  is  impossible  to  imagine. 
We  see  in  this  prodigy  a  caricature  of  the  beautiful  myth  of 
Phaeton,  offspring  of  Phoebus,  or  .the  Sun,  and  we  beg  per- 
mission to  state  it  briefly.  Phaeton  is  a  child  of  the  Sun  by 
Clymene.  Phaeton's  boast  of  heavenly  descent  is  derided  by 
Epaphus,  a  scion  of  Jupiter  by  Io.  Phaeton  complains  to  his 
mother  of  the  insult  offered  him  and  implores  her  to  test  his 
divine  descent.  Clymene  piteously  appeals  to  Phoebus  to 
bear  witness  that  she  speaks  truth,  then  advises  Phaeton  to 
proceed  to  India,  the  rising  of  the  Sun,  ascend  the  palace  of 
his  father,  and  get  the  proof  of  his  origin.  Following  his. 
mother's  suggestion,  Phaeton  reaches  the  dazzling  abode  of 
his  sire,  the  Sun  ;  he  is  overpowered  by  his  dazzling  splendor  ; 
he  sees  his  father  on  the  throne  of  glowing  light,  the  Hours, 
Days,  Months,  Seasons,  and  Years  around  him.  Moved  to  pity 
by  the  timidity  of  the  beautiful  youth  at  a  distance,  Phoebus 
inquires  who  he  is  and  what  he  wants,  and,  learning  the  object 
of  his  son's  daring  ascent,  Phoebus  confirms  Clymene's  asser- 
tion, and  as  a  proof  offers  the  youth  the  fulfillment  of  any 
wish  he  may  utter.  "  O,  then,  let  me  lead  thy  sun-chariot  for 
a  day  !  "  exclaimed  the  rash  stripling.  The  sun-god  is  amazed 
at  the  bold  request,  discovering  too  late  that  he  promised  too 
much.  In  vain  does  he  warn  the  youth  that  only  immortal 
hands  could  successfully  manage  the  steeds  of  fire  that  draw 
the  burning  chariot  athwart  the  vast  empyrean  ;  even  Jupiter, 
himself,  could  not  do  it  without  danger  to  the  universe. 
Youth  is  unreasonably  obstinate,  and  the  divine  sire,  having 
sealed  his  promise  with  the  irrevocable  oath  of  the  gods,  yields 
with  sorrow.  For  he  knows  that  Phaeton  would  have  first  to 
climb  the  steep  heavens,  soar  over  tremendous  gulfs  of  space ; 
he  would  have  to  pass  among  terrible  monsters,  such  as  the 
Horns  of  the  Bull,  then  the  Crab,  the  Scorpion,  the  Lion,  and 
the  Archer;  then  descend  toward  the  sea,  which  is  not  the 


28 

least  of  perils.  All  this  deters  not  the  ambitious  youth,  who 
persists  in  his  wish,  and,  Dawn  drawing  near  and  Aurora 
blushing  at  a  distance,  he  is  allowed  to  mount  the  celestial 
chariot  made  up  of  wheels  of  glowing  gold,  of  masses  of 
silver,  fire,  jewels,  and  crystallites.  Off  he  sweeps  with  his 
fiery  team,  finding,  alas,  every  warning  of  his  father  too  soon 
confirmed.  The  unfathomed  deeps  below  make  him  dizzy, 
his  eyes  grow  dim  ;  the  horses  are  uncontrollable ;  he  loses  all 
thought,  caution,  presence  of  mind ;  the  monsters  appal  him ; 
his  course  is  irregular ;  the  steeds  run  as  they  please.  Mean- 
while the  world  below,  clouds,  mountains,  fields,  cities,  har- 
vests, and  forests  catch  fire  ;  the  wells,  lakes,  and  rivers  are 
dried ;  from  one  end  to  the  other  earth  is  a  conflagration,  and 
the  heat  reaches  Phpeton,  who  finds  it  unbearable.  Earth 
bursts  open  and  light  breaks  into  the  dark  regions  of  Tar- 
tarus, frightening  Pluto ;  the  gulfy  ocean  boils,  and  Neptune, 
though  sorely  oppressed,  is  unable  to  raise  his  head  above 
the  wave.  At  last  Earth  prays  to  Jupiter  to  be  rather  de- 
stroyed by  his  thunderbolt  than  left  to  perish  thus  in  slow 
agony.  The  god  of  gods  calls  to  witness  all  the  deities  that 
he  is  just  in  saving  the  world  by  destroying  the  mad  youth 
who  durst  do  what  no  mortal  ought  to  dare.  Jupiter  shakes 
his  divine  locks,  thunders  and  roars,  then,  brandishing  one  of 
his  fatal  lightning  bolts,  he  hurls  it  at  the  unfortunate  Phseton 
and  sweeps  him  out  of  existence.  Mohammed's  angel  of  ven- 
geance as  well  as  his  zoological  sky  savors  too  much  of  this 
poetical  allegory  not  to  invite  comparison,  but,  as  in  his  draw- 
ings on  Jewish  lore,  lie  disfigures  it. 

The  sixth  heaven  Mohammed  found  to  be  built  of  translu- 
cent carbuncle,  with  a  presiding  angel  made  half  of  snow  and 
half  of  fire,  the  two  antagonistic  elements  working  there  in 
perfect  harmony,  a  circumstance  which  causes  a  host  of  lesser 
angels  to  beseech  Allah  to  unite  all  the  faithful  of  Islam  as 
He  united  snow  and  fire.  It  is  impossible  to  suppress  a  smile 
on  reading  these  grotesque  fancies,  for  which  the  prophet's 
Jewish  secretary  furnished  the  materials  from  Pharisaic 
sources.  His  angels  and  demons  are,  on  the  whole,  poor 
creatures,  compared  with  those  of  a  nobler  Jewish  imagina- 


29 

tion,  on  which  he  is  shamefully  drawing  without  giving  the 
least  credit.  An  ancient  Jewish  fancy  is  that  the  firmament 
is  made  of  water  and  the  stars  of  fire,  which,  however  do  not 
disturb  the  peace  of  heaven.1  There  is  a  five  hundred  years' 
distance  between  earth  and  heaven 2  is  said  elsewhere.  It  is 
also  stated  that  there  is  an  angel  who  stands  on  earth  and 
whose  head  reaches  to  the  throne  of  God,  where  he  weaves 
crowns  for  his  Creator,3  from  which  it  follows  that  this  angel 
must  be  of  a  height  of  at  least  five  hundred  years'  travel.  The 
Pharisee  lived  under  the  conviction  that  from  the  day  of  his 
birth  to  that  of  his  death  angels  were  watching  over  him, 
keeping  record  of  all  his  doings,  and  following  him  beyond  the 
grave  to  testify  as  to  his  life;  for,  said  he,  "if  a  man  does  a 
good  thing  he  gives  birth  to  a  pleading  angel;  if  he  com- 
mits a  sin,  an  accusing,  evil  angel  is  born."  Our  Prophecy 
frequently  refers  to  heavenly  hosts,  and  in  the  Pentateuch 
angels  often  execute  the  decrees  of  the  Most  High.  But  it 
was  in  Babylon  where  the  exiled  Jews,  by  coming  in  contact 
with  the  followers  of  Zoroaster,  imbibed  numerous  Magian 
fancies.4  Henceforth,  the  whole  universe  is  peopled  with 
good  and  evil  beings,  not  literally  but  metaphysically.  Ge- 
hinnom  is  presided  over  by  an  angel.5  As  often  as  The 
Almighty  utters  a  sound  an  angel  springs  into  being  from  the 
mystic  river  Dinar?  These  angels  are  half  fire  and  half 
water.7  Gabriel  was  ever  the  heavenly  guardian  of  Abraham. 
Angels  preside  over  ocean  and  wind,  over  night  and  day,  over 
every  element  above  and  below,  implying,  however,  nothing 
else  than  agencies  called  into  existence  by  the  Divine  Breath, 
and  disappearing  the  moment  their  task  is  done.  This  is  the 
world-wide  difference  between  the  angelology  and  demonology 
of  Judaism  and  those  of  heathenism  and  the  two  great 
religions  we  are  alluding  to.  Here  is  what  our  Ibn  Gabirol, 
poet  and  philosopher,  whom  we   shall  meet  again,  says  of 


.rut?  pn  rp-6  ny  pxo  -     .diSp  nany  bw  bw  doddi  dt:  St?  jrp-i » 
.uipb  Dnro  -itjnpi  nrnn  b^x  ;>\)d  lmni  pan  nnvj;  ainty  nna  -inSd5 

.D-o  romi  bn  rim  Msxp  -|*6on 7     .iix'i'2  K13J  r\"2p  'sa  xrty  -nan  Sao 


30 

God's  angels.     In  the  course  of  his  great  poem  known  as  the 
"  Royal  Crown,"  he  exclaims : — 

"  Lord,  who  may  fathom  Thy  unfathomed  Will, 
Creating  of  Thyself  effulgent  hosts, 
Celestial  beings,  spirits  high,  in  Thy 
Blest  Presence  biding,  messengers  of  Thine ; 
They,  vested  with  resistless  might,  assigned 
Dominion  hold,  the  sword  that  flaming  wheels 
In  hand  ;  quick  execution  doing  as 
Thy  bidding  prompts.    All  shaped  of  radiance,  full 
Of  glitter  as  the  precious  stone,  within, 
Without,  inspired  with  Thy  Breath,  they  do 
Thy  ways  contemplate  ;  they  of  holy  source, 
From  light's  primordial  fountain  springing,  ranked 
Are  in  divisions,  banners  bearing,  which 
Their  rank  and  state  in  fiery  letters  blazon  ; 
Of  them,  some  do  command  and  some  obey  ; 
Seeing,  unseen,  some  hosts  on  wing  depart, 
Beturn,  untired,  unspent;  some  are  all  fire, 
Some  water  and  flame,  some  fire  and  water,  some 
Tempestuous  winds  ;  seraphim  are  others ;  as 
Northlight,  as  lightning,  as  meteors,  are  many  ; 
All  bowing  in  awe  before  The  Most  High, 
Hymning  His  glory  by  day  and  by  night." 

It  was  in  the  sixth  heaven  where  Mohammed  had  another 
meeting  with  Moses  who,  instead  of  welcoming  him  as  before 
with  delight,  wept  bitter  tears.  And  good  cause  had  he  to 
weep,  for,  said  he,  with  a  frank  display  of  unheavenly  jealousy, 
"  You  are  my  successor,  who  is  destined  to  lead  more  of  thy 
nation  to  paradise  than  I  could  in  my  efforts  to  redeem  the 
ever-backsliding  sons  of  Israel."  When  one  knows  a  little 
more  of  the  bitterly  jealous  nature  of  Allah's  choicest  apostle, 
it  is  easily  understood  how,  judging  others  by  self,  he  im- 
puted similar  sentiments  to  Moses.  But  let  us  follow  him  to 
the  seventh  heaven,  where  the  patriarch  Abraham  received 
him.  It  must  be  gratifying  to  the  Jew  to  know  that  Moses  is 
in  the  sixth,  and  Abraham  in  the  seventh  heaven,  but  Jesus  is 
nowhere  found  above.  The  "  last  prophet  "  is  not  quite  con- 
sistent in  his  narration  ;  for  if  Jesus  was  good  enough  to  pray 
with  Abraham  and  Moses  in  the  Sanctuary  of  Zion  he  is  like- 
wise entitled  to  some  prominence  in  the  heavenly  regions. 
Nothing  but  Moslem  jealousy  denies  him  this. 


ol 

As  it  was  to  be  expected,  matters  in  that  topmost  heaven  look 
unutterably  Divine — all  glory,  light,  and  beatitude.  The  deni- 
zens of  this  most  blissful  of  all  skies  are  most  assuredly  an 
amazing  type  of  cherubim.  One  specimen  may  serve  as  an 
illustration.  Imagine  a  seraph  whose  body  is  as  large  as  this 
earth,  who  bears  seventy  thousand  heads,  each  head  having  sev- 
enty thousand  mouths,  each  mouth  harboring  seventy  thousand 
tongues,  each  tongue  speaking  seventy  thousand  different  lan- 
guages ;  then  fancy,  if  you  can,  a  host  of  such  angelic  polyglots 
incessantly  singing  the  praise  of  Allah,  and  if  you  never  heard 
Islam's  votaries  perform  music  in  the  Moorish  empire,  you 
are  likely  to  reach  no  unfavorable  conclusion  as  to  the  nature 
of  this  heavenly  symphony.  The  next  wonder  is  the  lotus- 
tree,  Sedrat,  which  grows  on  the  right  side  of  Allah's  invisi- 
ble throne.  •  This  tree  is  longer  than  the  distance  between  earth 
and  sun,  and  angels  more  numerous  than  the  dust  of  earth  are 
disporting  in  its  shade ;  its  leaves  resemble  elephantine  ears ; 
in  its  branches  flocks  of  immortal  birds  are  singing  the  verses 
of  Al  Koran.  Milk  and  honey  are  less  sweet  than  its  fruit — 
one  of  which  is  sufficient  to  feed  all  hungry  creatures  below. 
The  most  interesting  part  of  the  fruit,  however,  is  its  seed, 
which  is  not  wisdom — a  thing  of  which  the  prophet  was  painfully 
in  need — but  it  contains  a  lovely,  beautiful  virgin  with  sweet, 
large,  black  eyes — a  houri  reserved  for  the  faithful  as  a  reward 
for  loyalty  to  the  prophet.  Four  rivers  issue  from  the  lotus- 
tree — two  enter  paradise,  the  other  two  are  the  Nile  and  the 
Euphrates.  One  need  not  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  source 
of  the  Nile  is  yet  half  a  mystery.  As  to  the  four  rivers  issu- 
ing from  Eden,  they  are  surely  more  picturesquely  and  logically 
described  in  our  Genesis. 

Near  by  Allah's  throne  is  the  prayer-house,  Al  Mamor,  built 
of  precious  stones  and  lit  up  by  countless  ever-burning  lamps. 
On  entering  its  portals,  three  vases  are  offered  to  Mohammed 
to  drink  from — the  one  containing  honey,  the  other  wine,  the 
third  milk.  He  drinks  of  the  milk,  to  the  great  delight  of 
Gabriel,  who  assures  him  that  but  for  his  predilection  for  that 
white  beverage  in  preference  to  the  wine,  his  people  would 
have    all   degenerated   and   gone   astray.      The   prayer-house 


32 


resembles  the  Caaba  of  Mecca,  which  is  actually  in  a  straight 
line  below  it  on  earth.  It  is  daily  visited  by  seventy  thousand 
angels  of  the  highest  order,  who  at  that  moment  were  engaged 
in  making  their- circuit  adoration,  Mohammed  joining  them  and 
walking  seven  times  around.  Down  to  the  number  seven  every- 
thing save  the  grotesque  and  the  ludicrous,  including  the  para- 
dise of  Islam,  is  borrowed  from  Pharisaic  and  Biblical  lore. 
"Seven  times  in  the  day  do  I  praise  Thee  because  of  Thy 
righteous  decrees,"  says  the  Psalmist.  The  seventh  day  of  the 
week  is  our  Sabbath ;  the  seventh  year  was  the  year  of  the 
Shemitha,  the  seventh  Shemitka  initiated  the  Jubilee  ;  our  two 
historical  festivals,  Passover  and  the  Feast  of  Booths,  are  to  be 
observed  for  seven  days ;  Pentecost  occurs  seven  weeks  after 
Passover ;  the  Israelites  marched  seven  times  around  the  city 
of  Jericho ;  on  the  seventh  day  seven  priests,  beaming  before 
the  Ark  seven  cornets  of  ram's  horn,  marched  seven  times 
around  that  city's  wall ;  after  seven  days  each  new-born  Jewish 
male  child  enters  the  covenant  of  Abraham  ;  nuptial  rejoicing- 
is  limited  to  seven  days ;  in  old  Jewish  congregations  it  is  still 
customary  to  make  a  circuit  of  seven  round  the  bride  before 
the  wedding  ceremony  is  performed ;  on  the  old  belief  that, 
as  the  Zohar  tells,  "  seven  days  the  soul  wanders  from  the  grave 
to  the  house,  and  from  the  house  to  the  grave,  after  which  the 
body  rests  where  it  is,  and  the  soul  goes  where  it  must,"  is 
founded  our  mourning  period  of  seven  days,  known  as  the  Shi- 
Vdh.  The  heavenly  Jerusalem8  of  Jesus,  as  well  as  the  Para- 
dise of  Islam,  are  both  taken  from  Jewish  tradition.  Speaking 
of  the  Gan  Eden,  the  Pharisees  believe  that  "  the  souls  of  the 
righteous  are  gathered  under  the  Throne  of  Glory  ; "  and  this, 
with  an  additional  promise  of  sensual  pleasures,  is  literally  re- 
peated by  Islam.  People  need  do  no  more  than  read  and  com- 
pare, to  see  that  whatever  is  not  Jewish  is  neither  good  nor 
true  in  the  Koran  and  the  Gospels. 

Beyond  this  seventh  heaven  Gabriel  was  not  good  enough  to 
follow  Mohammed,  who,  faster  than  thought,  made  his  way  up- 
ward, first  through  an  abyss  of  thick  darkness — the  bs^y  of 

s6x  vbw  r«  any  San  nhiy  nhjh  rnfnn  ba  imp  hw  .D'Stsn" 
1  .n1?  D'jouon 


33 

Hebrew  poetry — then  emerging,  found  himself  amazed  in  the 
very  Presence  of  Allah  and  close  to  His  throne.  But  for  the 
two  thousand  impenetrable  veils  which  covered  the  light  of 
the  Deity,  the  prophet  would  have  been  consumed  by  the 
ineffable  radiance.  Without  further  ceremony,  Allah  stretched 
forth  one  of  His  hands,  laying  it  on  Mohammed's  breast,  the 
other  he  rested  on  his  shoulder,  when  a  freezing  sensation 
thrilled  the  apostle  to  the  bottom  of  his  soul,  giving  place 
soon,  however,  to  a  feeling  of  unutterable  bliss,  enhanced  by  a 
celestial  fragrance,  which  was  spreading  and  permeating  all 
the  heavens.  In  this  posture  he  received  his  great  mission,  the 
leading  doctrines  of  the  Koran,  and  fifty  orisons  to  be  daily  re- 
cited by  the  faithful.  The  fifty  orisons  were,  however,  by  the 
good  advice  of  Moses — and  this  alone  ought  to  eternalize  Moses 
in  the  heart  of  Islam — who  repeatedly  caused  Mohammed 
to  reascend  and  pray  for  a  reduction,  finally  reduced  to  five, 
which  the  Moslem  still  recites  daily.  In  this  manner  did  the 
"  seal  of  the  prophets  "  face  Allah  and  bring  down  the  "  true 
profession  of  faith  "  on  earth  :  "  There  is  no  God  but  Allah, 
and  Mohammed  is  His  prophet." 

This  profession  of  the  Moslem  is  a  weak  echo  of  "  and  the 
people  feared  The  Lord,  and  they  believed  in  The  Lord  and 
in  Moses,  his  servant."  This  "  hero  as  a  prophet  "  is  Carlyle's 
admiration,  who,  speaking  of  the  Arabs,  goes  out  of  his  way  to 
remark  that  "  they  are,  as  we  know,  of  Jewish  kindred,  but 
with  that  deadly,  terrible  earnestness  of  the  Jews,  they  seem 
to  combine  something  graceful,  brilliant,  which  is  not  Jewish." 
Why,  who  would  believe,  that  there  was  nothing  "graceful" 
and  "  brilliant "  about  the  Jew,  Jesus  ?  We  should  like  to  be 
informed  of  the  source  from  which  orthodox  Christianity  de- 
rives its  sensational  glitter  and  brilliancy.  Let  it  pass.  Car- 
lyle  is  welcome  to  Mohammed's  heroism  and  prophecy ;  it  is  a 
question  of  taste.  The  Jew's  sense  of  the  aesthetic  is  inseparable 
from  his  ethics.  Judaism  fails  to  see  beauty  or  grace  in 
things  which  are  at  variance  with  truth  and  sound  common 
sense.  Mohammed  was  born  in  the  land  of  false  prophets, 
and  proved  more  successful  than  the  countless  mahdis  who, 
with  equal  claims,  failed  miserably.     With  the  few  grains  of 


34 

truth  therein  borrowed  from  the  treasury  of  Israel,  Islam 
served,  in  the  inscrutable  designs  of  Providence,  a  certain  pur- 
pose, but  it  has  long  ago  reached  its  period  of  decline  and  de- 
cay. Islam's  infant  lips  were  stained  with  blood ;  its  career 
has  been  one  of  carnage  and  bloodshed ;  its  life  and  history 
a  scandal  to  ethical  humanity. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE   HEBREW'S   GREATEST  VISION. 

Strange  and  mysterious  are  the  beginnings  and  the  ends  of 
life  ;  mysterious  the  surroundings,  mysterious  the  being,  hunt- 
ing, and  driving  of  man.  Who  are  we  2  Why  are  we  ?  How 
was  this  world  made  2  Who  made  it  2  Why  did  He  make  it '( 
Why  is  this  world  given  to  us  2  What  kind  of  a  world  is  it  % 
Who  will  answer  2  Every  stone  is  a  mystery,  every  blade  of 
grass,  every  flower,  every  creature  a  symbol.  Why  have  we 
reason,  feeling,  longing,  hopes,  and  dreams?  What  is  it  that 
softens,  deepens,  and  stirs  all  our  being  at  the  sight  of  the 
star-studded  empyrean,  the  ocean's  rolling  tide,  the  East's 
springing  glories,  the  West's  fading  splendors  ?  All  have 
meaning,  speech,  and  lesson.  Why  is  life  so  dear,  power  so 
sweet,  fame  so  precious,  death  so  unwelcome,  nay,  terrible  to 
the  great  majority  of  mankind  2  It  is  because  there  is  a  spirit 
in  man  that  dreads  annihilation,  and  is  thrilled  with  the  joyous 
prospect  of  life  eternal.  The  consciousness  that,  mortal  though 
we  be  in  frame,  the  longing  soul,  the  deep,  meditative,  search- 
ing mind,  is  endowed  with  powers  to  earn  immortality,  is  the 
gravitating  influence  that  causes  the  world  to  move,  the  human 
spirit  to  verge  toward  a  higher  plane  of  endeavor.  But  this 
type  of  mind  is  as  rare  as  the  elixir,  as  wonderful  and  as 
mighty.  Tribes  and  races  have  been  saved  from  oblivion  and 
raised  to  the  summit  of  immortal  fame  by  a  few,  aye,  often  by 
one  of  those  thaumaturgic  minds,  some  of  which  have  stamped 
cycles  with  their  unaccountable  idiosyncrasies.  Five  or  six 
minds  of  that  mysterious  type  have,  it  is  clear,  divided  this 
earth  among  themselves,  and  bade  her  roll  on  with  the  marks 
of  their  genius  engraved  on  her  sovereign  creature.  The 
Synagogue,  the  Church,  the  Pagoda,  and  the  Mosque  repre- 
sent so  many  minds  and  nothing  more. 

(35)  " 


The  division  of  spiritual  rule  over  the  race  is,  however, 
neither  final  nor  uncontested ;  the  strife  between  the  great 
spirits  being  unabated  and  carried  on,  as  it  were,  from  the 
realms  of  pure  spirit.  Who  shall  rule  supreme,  who  shall 
triumph  over  his  adversaries,  Buddha,  Moses,  Zoroaster,  Jesus, 
or  Mohammed?  Which  shall  be  the  permanent  book  of  reve- 
lation, the  Zend-Avesta,  the  Buddhistic  Scriptures,  the  Koran, 
the  Gospel,  or  The  Old  Testament,  to  say  nothing  of  Con- 
fucius and  many  more,  who  are  entitled  to  a  hearing  ?  It  be- 
hooves us,  Israelites,  to  assert  once  more  the  rule  and  supremacy 
of  The  Infinite  One  and  His  living  Word  over  all  other  gods 
and  their  unsubstantiated,  unrealized  revelations.  Not  worldly, 
but  spiritual,  sovereignty  is  the  claim  of  Israel.  You  ask.: 
What  is  Judaism  ?  We  answer  :  Mind  in  action,  truth  in- 
vulnerable, unyielding,  imperishable,  conquering,  herself  un- 
conquered;  subduing,  herself  unsubdued.  Have  you  a  mind 
of  your  own  ?  Can  you  say  with  Descartes,  "  I  think,"  then 
are  you  justified  in  saying  "  I  am ;"  then  are  you  really  alive, 
alive  as  a  Hebrew  of  mind,  alive  for  now  and  for  aye ;  for 
the  great  mind  rests  not  until  its  marks  are  imprinted  on  the 
sands  of  Time. 

Good  ground  have  we  to  claim  a  mind  of  our  own,  a  na- 
tional, say — spiritual  personality,  as  distinctive  as  the  sun  is 
above  the  lesser  orbs  of  heaven,  and,  we  may  well  add,  as 
powerful,  dazzling,  and  fructifying.  We  pay  no  tribute  to 
conceit,  nor  homage  to  vanity  or  vainglory,  by  asserting  our 
irrefutable  achievement  of  having  impregnated  the  world's 
mind  with  that  peculiar,  resistless  individualism,  the  triumph- 
ant genius  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  and  the  modern  Israelite. 
The  mind  that  cleaves  to  The  Universal  Mind,  who  may 
change,  who  subdue  it  ?  As  God  lives,  do  they  live,  inspired 
by  His  Breath  ;  they  are  deathless.  Israel  had  a  dream ;  he 
saw  the  ladder  that  links  earth  to  heaven ;  he  saw  God's  angels 
ascending  and  descending ;  he  heard  the  voice  of  sweetest 
promise  assure  him  that,  through  his  seed,  the  world  will  be 
enlightened  and  redeemed,  and  he  rose  from  his  vision  tremb- 
ling with  sacred  awe  at  the  grand  vista  that  opened  before  his 
mind's  eye.     As  long  as  there  shall  be  men  on  earth  Israel 


37 

shall  live.     Sweetest  of  visions,  glory  of  glories !     Cycles  of 
history  belied  not  that  vision. 

Akin  to  the  all-absorbing  influence  of  self-preservation 
works  the  deep-rooted  impulse,  the  unappeased  longing  in  the 
human  soul  to  perpetuate  her  mortal  career  by  all  possible 
means  accessible  to  her ;  by  a  pyramid  in  Egypt,  by  marble 
and  bronze  statues  in  Greece  and  Rome ;  elsewhere,  by  deeds 
of  valor,  feats  of  heroism,  intended  to  secure  an  honored 
name  that  lingers  long  in  man's  memory  after  its  bearer 
is  consigned  to  eternal  rest.  That  our  soul  is  deathless  we 
trust  and  hope ;  that  we  may  prolong  our  existence  here  below 
we  are  sure  of.  Some  men  live  for  nothing ;  some  vegetate 
unheeded,  unhonored ;  some  live  for  a  day ;  some  rise  into 
prominence  for  a  year  ;  others  for  a  decade  ;  fewer  for  a  cen- 
tury ;  but  fewest,  aye,  very  few,  live  forever.  These  are  such 
as  immortalize  their  name  and  the  stock  they  spring  from  by 
works  of  genius ;  such  as  combine  to  make  what  is  understood 
to  be  a  nation's  literature.  Armies  perish ;  navies  come  to 
naught ;  empires  wither  and  decay  ;  beanty  fades ;  everything 
fluctuates  under  the  sun,  save  the  literary  triumphs  of  the 
giant  mind  ;  these  live  with  the  stars.  England  has  lost  these 
United  States ;  she  will  lose  Canada,  Australia,  and  India,  and 
may  one  day  lose  her  islands  and  be  nothing  but  a  name ;  but 
she  is  rendered  imperishable  by  her  Miltons,  her  Newtons, 
and  her  Shakespeares.  Babylon  is  dead ;  Greece  lives  in  her 
literature.  Alexander  will  be  forgotten ;  Aristotle  never. 
Voltaire  fears  less  Frederick's  genius  than  Frederick  the  with- 
ering shafts  of  the  genius  of  Voltaire.  Not  their  armies  and 
martial  triumphs,  but  their  Homers  and  Dantes  are  the  glories 
of  nations ;  for  it  is  in  the  literature  of  a  people  wherein  their 
heroism,  their  spirit,  their  genius,  manhood,  and  idealism 
are  set  forth ;  the  noblest  and  grandest  of  earthly  monu- 
ments ;  the  invisible  chain  that  links  the  past  to  the  present 
and  the  future  ;  the  symbols  by  which  bygone  ages  commune 
with  those  yet  unborn,  yet  to  come.  Here  is  the  miracle  of 
the  dead  speaking  to  the  living.  Surely  the  mind  that  utters 
truth  is,  like  truth  herself,  eternal. — As  to  our  own  literature, 
it  is  unequaled  in  depth,  variety,  mystery,  and  sublimity,  and 


no  figures  may  compute  the  good  it  has  done  for  the  frail 
race  of  men.  Aye,  if  nothing  else  glorious  should  be  left  of 
the  eternal  wandering  Jew,  the  Bible  alone  would  secure  his 
immortality.  "  Do  not  be  ashamed  of  your  Bible.  There  is 
not  a  virtue  but  it  commends ;  there  is  not  a  sorrow  but  it 
comforts  ;  there  is  not  a  good  law  on  the  statute-book  of  any 
country  but  is  founded  on  The  Ten  Commandments.  There 
are  no  braver,  grander  people  in  all  the  earth  than  the  heroes 
and  heroines  which  it  biographizes,"  says  Talmage.  That 
Book  which  the  world  honors  most,  that  mirror  of  truth,  Di- 
vine love,  human  greatness,  genius,  and  frailty,  who  can  say 
that  it  sprung  not  from  the  Hebrew's  deepest  being?  But 
Israel  had  more  to  say  than  was  said  in  the  Hebraic  idiom. 
There  was,  there  is,  no  civilized  tongue  in  which  the  Jew  did 
not  utter  his  soul's  dreams  and  realities.  Chaldaic,  Latin, 
Greek,  Arabic,  French,  Spanish,  Italian,  English,  and  German 
having  successively  been  his  vehicles  of  thought.  There  is 
hardly  a  topic  concerning  the  here  and  the  hereafter  of  which 
the  Jew  did  not  think,  did  not  dream. 

The  Hebrew's  greatest  vision  is  that  of  the  beginning,  his 
sweetest  dream  that  of  the  end  of  things.  We  intend  to  test 
Judaism  by  its  aspects  of  creation  and  immortality.  Did  Is- 
rael, in  his  earliest  phases  of  development,  cherish  the  immor- 
tal dream  %  Says  a  Christian  authority,  in  a  great  work  of 
reference :  "  The  New  Testament  itself  discloses  two  entirely 
different  eschatological  methods.  The  one  is  moral,  spiritual, 
idealist,  employing  outward  forms  only  as  symbols,  viewing 
the  future  rather  in  regard  to  development  of  character  than 
as  a  mode  of  existence.  This  is  the  Christian  as  contrasted 
with  the  Jewish  method.  The  other  follows  the  natural  ten- 
dency of  Hebrew  thought.  It  is  literal,  material,  sensuous. 
It  delights  in  chronological  arrangements  of  the  unknown  fu- 
ture, and  topographical  arrangements  of  the  unseen  world." 
We  have  either  to  condemn  this  as  the  stupid  statement  of  an 
unscholarly  priest,  or  brand  it  as  a  willful  perversion  of  truth. 
The  reverse  of  that  assertion,  as  will  soon  appear,  is  true ;  and 
it  is  a  sorry  tribute  to  error  to  place  such  an  unsustainable 
view,  a  flat  misstatement  of  tilings,  in  a  leading  encyclopaedia. 


39 

But  this  is  the  cuckoo-song  of  the  alone-saving  Church. 
Everybody  who  knows  the  ancient  creeds  knows  that  the  pop- 
ular notion  of  a  hell  and  a  heaven  is  as  old  as  man's  religious 
inclination.  In  his  first  contact  with  the  savage  Indian,  Co- 
lumbus heard  an  aged  barbarian  warn  him  of  the  dark  place 
in  the  beyond  reserved  for  the  wicked,  and  assuring  him  that 
a  bright  abode  was  there  for  the  just.  Cultured  polytheism 
sang  of  Hades  and  Elysium.  Jesus  spoke  of  a  terrific  hell 
ready  for  such  as  would  not  accept  him,  and  promised  paradise 
to  all  his  followers.  So  did  Mohammed.  Old  Scandinavia 
had  its  NihHeheim  and  its  Walhalla.  Modern  heathendom  en- 
tertains strong  hopes  and  fears  of  retribution  beyond  the  grave, 
such  ideas  being  inseparable  from  the  earliest,  not  less  than 
the  latest  religious  promptings.  Well  may  we  question  the 
competence  and  sincerity  of  an  author  who,  ignoring  the  ab- 
solutely transcendental  God-ideal  of  the  most  dreaming,  ab- 
stract of  races,  imputes  to  it  the  grossest  eschatological  fancies. 
It  remains  for  us  to  let  a  statement  of  facts  take  the  place  of 
a  refutation. 

We  unhesitatingly  advance  the  asseveration,  that  throughout 
our  vast  Biblical  literature  there  is  not  a  pen-picture,  not  an 
idea  of  a  "  topographical  arrangement  "  in  regard  to  punitive 
or  remunerative  retribution.  There  are  in  Pharisaic  literature 
vague  allusions  and  a  variety  of  conceptions  and  fancies  in  re- 
lation to  this  subject,  but,  as  in  later  Jewish  philosophy,  the 
idea  of  a  literal  hell  is  positively  rejected.9  Yet,  is  not  this 
rather  an  indication  of  spiritual  sanity  than  of  an  absence  of 
that  intuitive  consciousness  of  the  soul's  immortality,  without 
which  all  religion  had  no  higher  end  ?  How  can  one  believe 
in  Divine  Justice  without  implying  reward  of  virtue  and  pun- 
ishment of  wickedness  ?  "And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
might,"  in  return  for  what?  for  "  vexation  of  the  spirit "  here 
and  its  annihilation  hereafter  ?  Such  a  conclusion  would  not 
alone  suppress  every  incentive  to  faith  and  virtue,  but  would 
engender  strong  motives  for  vice  and  despair.     Those  throngs 


40 

of  "  Israel's  scattered  sheep  "  who  died  the  martyr's  death,  the 
confession  of  God's  Unity  on  their  lip,  could  they,  could  any 
human  being  do  so  unless  full  of  faith  that  there  be  something 
more  precious  and  less  perishable  than  earthly  life  ?  Shall  we 
assume  that  the  only  reward  of  Noah's  righteousness  was  his 
preservation  from  a  watery  grave  ?  Could  Abraham  and 
Moses  have  done  what  they  did,  died  as  they  died,  without  a 
positive  conviction  of  the  Just  God  being  just  here  and  every- 
where ?  on  this  side  'of  the  grave  and  beyond  it  ?  Could  a 
people  have  Elijahs,  Daniels,  and  Eleazars  ;  could  it  fear  death 
much  less  than  God,  without  a  profound  faith  in  life  eternal. 
Could  men  of  the  highest  faculty,  men  like  Moses,  Samuel,  and 
Isaiah,  never  ask  themselves — whither  ?  One  word  of  that  great- 
est of  law-givers  fully  accounts  for  the  ancient  Hebrew's  silence 
on  this  topic.  "  The  mysteries  belong  to  God,  our  Lord,  and 
the  things  revealed  belong  to  us  and  to  our  children  forever." 
When  was  more  said  in  so  few  syllables  ?  It  means,  thus  far 
and  no  farther.  Nobody  doubted  what  nobody  could  explain, 
until  a  morbid  imagination  engendered  the  most  monstrous 
of  fancies,  and  then  had  we  a  Christian  and  a  Mohammedan 
hell  of  "  topographical  arrangement."  Hell  is  an  institution 
of  the  New,  not  of  the  Old  Testament. 

That  a  fertile,  assimilative  imagination,  as  the  Jewish  is 
known  to  be,  would,  sooner  or  later,  have  its  legendary  folk- 
lore, embracing  tales  and  fancies  of  infernal  regions,  is  just 
what  was  to  be  expected,  and  will  be  referred  to  in  a  later 
chapter.  Jewish  speculation,  however,  never  gave  room  to 
such  a  thought,  because  no  sane  mind  can  give  definition  or 
precise  expression  to  a  fancy.  Poetry  may  indulge  in  build- 
ing air-castles ;  moral  and  spiritual  theology  must  be  rooted  in 
a  healthier  soil.  It  is  conceivable  that  a  religion  which  can- 
not imagine  gods  without  tangible  forms,  cannot  imagine  a 
retribution  of  a  purely  spiritual  nature.  It  must  be  either  a 
hell,  black,  deep,  hot,  inhabited  by  fiends  and  furies ;  or  a 
Paradise  of  carnal  joys  and  sensual  luxuries,  a  golden  city, 
golden  thrones  and  crowns,  sweet  music,  fragrance,  wings  to  fly, 
delicious  fruit  to  eat,  nectarian  rivers  to  drink,  maidens  to  love, 
an  unsated  hunger,  and  plenty  of  celestial  pleasures  to  enjoy, 


41 

ambrosia,  the  flesh  of  the  boar  Schrimir,  and  the  meat  of  the 
she-goat  Heidrum.  Trinitarian  Christianity,  with  its  picture- 
worship  and  sensuous  displays,  its  Satan  as  a  mighty  adversary 
of  God,  with  hosts  of  demons  to  do  his  biddings,  a  tremendous 
power  not  unprepared  to  storm  the  heavenly  abodes  and  to 
frustrate  many  a  good  design  of  The  Almighty,  had,  to  be  in 
some  measure  consistent,  to  evolve  infernal  realms  full  of  hor- 
rors and  celestial  courts  full  of  delights.  Ludicrous  inconsist- 
ency alone  could  prompt  the  Jew  to  associate  with  his  infinite, 
spiritual,  unfathomable  Deity  a  hell  of  bodily  torments  and  a 
Paradise  of  golden  or  jeweled  delights.  A  faith  that  sees  in 
the  visible  and  invisible  universe  what  Fichte  terms  a  "  Divine 
Idea,"  a  manifestation  of  a  Providential  design,  that  admits  of 
speculation  not  of  explanation  ;  a  faith  whose  earliest  incep- 
tions contain  the  germs  of  all  future  philosophy,  whose  God 
has  the  universe  in  Him,  but  is  not  all  contained  therein;  such 
a  faith  is  too  sublime  to  degrade  the  ideal  by  interlarding  it 
with  the  fantastic  and  the  sensual.  Here  is  a  world,  every 
atom  of  which  is  an  unsolved  mystery,  baffling  all  science  and 
philosophy.  Ages  uncounted  have  been  wasted  to  explain  the 
"  So  it  is,"  few  having  dared  to  answer  the  Whence,  Whither, 
and  Wherefore  of  this  planet  and  of  life  thereon  ;  what  mad- 
ness, then,  to  fool  one's  self  and  the  world  with  fanciful  pictures 
of  the  unknown,  unknowable  beyond  that  is  one  of  those  mys- 
teries which  "  belong  to  The  Lord  our  God  "  ?  Thank  the  Jew 
for  his  unconquerable,  sound,  common  sense,  his  religious 
sanity.  He,  too,  has  his  sweet  dreams,  his  Divine  visions, 
but  they  are  the  dreams  of  a  wide-awake  man,  are  day-dreams. 
There  is  no  raving,  no  mania  about  them.  The  Jew  dreams 
with  sunshine  around  him,  with  his  eyes  wide  open. 

Begin  with  the  Old  Testament,  the  cosmogony,  whose  con- 
ception of  the  Creator  and  His  creations  is  loftier  than  that  of 
the  ancient  Hebrew  ?  Ernst  Haeckel,  whom  Darwin  admires 
as  the  leading  scientist  in  evolutionary  researches,  assures  us 
that  the  Mosaic  Genesis  is  the  most  natural  and  comes  nearest 
the  results  of  modern  scientific  inquiry.  What  a  transcendental 
spiritual  genius  must  have  inspired  the  Hebraic  author,  who 
in   a  few  incomparable  lines  bodies  forth  the  overpowering 


42 

creative  drama,  conjuring,  as  it  strikes  the  mind,  Cosmos  out 
of  Chaos  !  Childish,  silly,  are  all  other  tales  of  creation  in  face 
of  that  whelming  sublimity  of  Hebrew  cosmogony  as  set  forth 
in  Genesis.  There  is  the  Japanese  legend  of  a  creative  god 
springing  from  a  vegetable  called  Asi,  which  in  turn  owed  its 
rise  to  original  mud  floating  like  oil  on  water.  There  is  the 
golden  ^gg  myth,  which  the  earliest  teachers  of  Phoenicia, 
Polynesia,  China,  India,  and  Egypt  made  the  origin  of  all 
things,  thus  trying  to  account  for  the  spherical  shape  of  the 
heavens,  but  invariably  winding  up  with  a  plurality  of  gods 
and  demons.  There  is  the  tortoise  theory  and  the  mouse 
myth,  making  up  a  gamut  of  infantile  fables  and  fancies,  which 
show  the  early  man  in  his  utmost  stupid  helplessness.  Even 
such  illustrious  races  as  later  rose  to  high  distinction,  what  a 
pitiable  conception  theirs  of  the  origin  of  things  !  We  do  not 
refer  to  Ovid's  story  of  creation,  which  too  strikingly  betrays 
its  Jewish  parentage  to  be  discussed  as  a  heathen  production. 
In  Ovid's  time  Jews  were  settled  in  Rome,  and  his  narration, 
and  especially  his  telling  of  chaos,  the  entire  absence  of  light, 
and  the  subsequent  separation  of  earth  from  sea,  heaven  from 
earth,  and  the  peopling  of  air,  land,  and  sea  with  birds,  beasts, 
and  fishes,  is  as  clearly  Jewish  as  the  most  beautiful  sayings  of 
Jesus  and  Mohammed  have  repeatedly  been  proved  to  be. 
We  shall  do  no  more  than  glance  at  the  Greek  and  the  Scandi- 
navian cosmogonies,  two  mighty  scions  of  the  Aryan  stock. 

Jupiter  is  not  the  creative  god.  Although  the  chief  of  all 
gods,  he  is  an  offspring  of  Saturn  or  Chronos,  Time.  But 
who  is  Chronos  ?  Whence  did  he  come  %  Ouranos  was  his 
father,  Ouranos  the  infinite.  Ouranos  gave  birth  to  Chronos, 
Chronos  begat  Zeus,  or  Jupiter,  who,  being  the  first-born  of 
Time,  who  was  the  only  born  of  Ouranos,  secured,  as  his 
birthright,  the  supreme  sovereignty  over  mortal  and  immortal 
beings,  gods,  demi-gods,  and  men.  The  first  creatures  we  hear 
of  are  Titans,  Saturn,  Pvhea,  Prometheus,  Oceanus,  Epimetheus, 
Hyperion,  Iapetus,  Ophion,  Themis,  Mnemosyne,  and  Euryno- 
me,  all  offsprings  of  earth  and  heaven,  who  issued  from  Chaos  ; 
horrible  giant  creatures,  of  whom  the  chief  god  was  in  whole- 
some terror.     Chronos,  however,  had  the  unfatherly  habit  of 


43 

devouring  his  own  children,  until  he  was  cured  of  it  by  his  be- 
loved Metis,  who,  by  a  mysterious  potion,  wisely  administered, 
caused  him  to  disgorge  all  the  dear  ones  he  had  swallowed. 
This  leads  to  a  domestic  disturbance  of  the  heavenly  dynasty. 
War  breaks  out  and  is  bitterly  waged  between  Jupiter  and  his 
brothers  and  sisters  on  the  one  side,  and  the  aged  father,  Sa- 
turn, on  the  other,  the  latter  being  vigorously  assisted  by  the 
dreadful  hundred-handed  Titans.  Victory  crowns  the  untilial 
audacity  of  Jupiter.  ■  Saturn  is  subdued,  and  his  auxiliary 
giants  are  locked  up  in  Tartarus,  or  hell.  You  will  remember 
that  much  later  a  similar  fate  befel  Lucifer,  who,  assisted  by 
his  diabolic  cohorts,  tried  to  wage  war  against  God  and  his 
son,  who  hurled  him  into  the  blackest  abysm  of  hell.  Having 
defeated  Saturn,  there  is  a  peaceful  division  of  the  universe 
among  the  Olympian  family.  Jupiter  assumes  sovereign 
power  over  the  heavens,  Neptune  presides  over  the  Ocean,  and 
Pluto  rules  ever  the  realms  of  the  dead.  Jupiter's  symbols  of 
celestial  royalty  are  the  thunderbolt,  the  ^Egis,  and  the  divine 
Eagle.  A  host  of  inferior  gods,  bearing  the  name  of  the 
several  virtues,  passions,  elements,  and  mental  endowments, 
obey  his  commands.  So  does  Pallas  Athene  rule  over  wisdom, 
having  sprung,  armed,  from  the  head  of  Jupiter  ;  Mercury  is 
identified  with  swiftness,  commerce,  industry  ;  Eros  is  the  god 
of  love,  Aphrodite  the  goddess  of  beauty,  Ares  the  war-god, 
Hephaistos  the  god  of  art,  Iris  the  goddess  of  the  rainbow, 
Demeter  the  goddess  of  agriculture,  and  so  on.  Sleep,  dream, 
illusion,  madness,  vengeance,  retribution,  as  every  intellectual 
gift,  and  all  branches  of  literature  were  all  personified  by  a 
god  or  goddess.  Subordinate  demi-gods  had  charge  of  all 
forests,  streams,  and  springs.  Scarcely  anything  worthy  of 
notice  was  without  some  presiding  invisible  power,  sometimes 
assuming  the  form  of  man  and  living  in  his  company. 

All  these  gods  and  demi-gods  had  been  there  before  man  was 
thought  of,  wherefore,  at  a  certain  moment,  Prometheus  and 
his  brother  Epimetheus,  received  orders  to  make  man  and  ani- 
mals, and  endow  them  with  the  indispensable  faculties.  Epi- 
metheus was  engaged  in  executing  this  work,  while  Prome- 
theus took  it  easy,  confining  himself  to  superintendence.     By 


44 

some  miscalculation,  while  endowing  all  animals,  Epimetheus 
neglected  to  spare  a  few  of  the  necessary  endowments  for 
man,  having  lavished  them  all  on  the  lower  animal  creation. 
To  repair  the  evil,  Prometheus,  assisted  by  Pallas  Athene,  the 
goddess  of  wisdom,  stealthily  ascended  to  heaven,  stole  fire 
from  the  sun's  unebbing  glow  and  gave  it  to  man.  Fire  turned 
out  a  fearful  weapon  in  the  human  hand,  stronger  than  all  the 
gifts  bestowed  on  the  whole  animal  kingdom.  Armed  with 
fire  man  became  the  terror  of  the  strongest  beast,  and  the 
gods  themselves  had  cause  to  respect  his  weapon,  for,  beside 
warming  himself,  he  bent  metals  to  his  will,  and  could  do 
much  good  and  evil  in  this  world.  Jupiter  was  angry  that 
such  a  gift  of  the  gods  should  be  bestowed  on  the  mortal 
race,  and,  while  one  tale  records  that  Prometheus  was  pun- 
ished by  being  chained  to  the  Caucasus,  with  a  vulture  feeding 
on  his  liver,  another  version  maintains  that  woman  was  an 
afterthought  of  the  cunning  chief-god,  who  created  her,  en- 
dowed her  with  irresistible  charms,  to  punish  the  Titans  for 
the  theft.  Thus  was  woman  sent  on  earth  to  counteract,  as  it 
were,  the  blessing  of  light.  Who  would  believe  it  ?  AVe  shall 
see  the  Church  adopt  this  view,  and  for  centuries  act  upon  it. 
In  this  way  was  man  made.  The  first  age  was  one  of  light, 
truth,  innocence,  and  happiness ;  it  was  the  golden  age.  Per- 
petual spring  ruled ;  the  earth  yielded  more  than  mankind 
could  use  ;  the  rivers  flowed  with  milk  and  wine  ;  honey 
flowed  from  the  trees.  But,  as  all  good  things,  the  golden  age 
did  not  last  long.  Man  soon  lost  his  innocence;  his  greed 
brought  about  violence,  fraud,  and  all  well-known  vices.  Earth, 
till  then  the  commonwealth  of  man,  was  now  divided  and 
subdivided ;  her  entrails  were  broken  open  to  tear  out  her 
veins  of  gold,  silver,  and  iron.  There  was  no  peace ;  blood 
was  often  shed;  all  the  good  gods  fled  from  earth,  except 
Astrrea,  Justice,  who  soon  fled  withal.  Jupiter  lost  his  pa- 
tience, convened  a  council  of  the  gods,  meditated  first  the  de- 
struction of  this  world  by  fire,  but,  lest  the  flames  endanger 
the  safety  of  the  skies,  he  concluded  to  drown  the  wicked  age. 
Here  the  Biblical  picture  of  Noah's  flood  is  faithfully  repro- 
duced, Ararat  being  substituted  by  Parnassus,  and  Noah's  fam- 


45 

ily  by  Deucalion  and  his  wife  Pyrrha,  whose  noble  life  caused 
Jupiter  to  relent.  The  waters  subside.  Inspired  by  an  oracle, 
the  good  Deucalion  discovers  that  the  race  is  to  be  regenerated 
by  their  "casting  behind  them  the  bones  of  their  mother." 
Unwilling  to  desecrate  the  bones  of  their  parent,  they  stood 
hesitating  as  to  the  course  that  would  suggest  itself  as  the 
wisest,  when  another  inspiration  opened  his  eyes,  that  by  the 
"  mother's  bones  "  the  stones  of  earth  were  meant,  earth  being 
the  mother  of  all.  Doing  as  they  were  bidden,  each  stone 
they  threw  behind  them  miraculously  turned  into  a  human 
form,  full  of  life  and  vigor.  And  so  was  the  world  made,  de- 
vastated, and  reformed  again.  An  ingenious  story,  but  what 
sense,  what  order,  what  plan  therein  ?  We  should,  besides,  ( 
notice  the  immoral  tendency  of  this  cosmogonic  myth.  In 
the  very  beginning  of  things  the  first-born  son-god  fights 
with  the  whole  family  against  the  god-father,  on  whose  ruin 
he  raises  his  throne.  Theft  is  the  next  act  of  a  divine  power 
intrusted  with  the  task  of  shaping  and  endowing  the  animal 
kingdom.  One  may  easily  see  something  deep  in  all  this,  but 
the  unethical  nature  of  the  tale  did  nevertheless  prove  detri- 
mental to  Greek  and  Roman  morals.  Homer  tells  of  shame- 
ful vices  indulged  in  by  the  Olympian  chief,  whose  bad  example 
could  not  but  be  followed  by  gods  and  men.  The  history  of 
Sparta  and  Athens  is  there  to  show  the  fatal  consequences  of  a 
corrupted  theogony,  for  it  were  folly  to  expect  man  to  do  and 
be  better  than  his  gods. 

As  to  the  cosmogony  of  which  the  Eddas  tell  it  is  less  inter- 
esting and  more  childish.  In  that  work  we  are  assured  of  a 
time  when  there  was  neither  heaven  nor  earth,  nor  anything 
but  a  dark,  bottomless  abyss  and  a  hovering  mass  of  mist,  in 
the  core  of  which  was  a  living  fountain,  which  was  the  source 
of  twelve  rivers.  These  twelve  volumes  of  water,  as  they 
flowed  forth  towards  every  direction  of  the  compass,  grew 
colder,  until,  changed  into  solid  ice,  the  growing  bulk  did,  by 
degrees,  fill  out  the  awful  deep.  From  a  world  of  light  float- 
ing southward  of  the  mist  there  issued  a  thawing,  genial 
breeze,  dissolving  the  ice,  changing  it  into  vapor,  which  rose 
in  the  shape  of  clouds.     These  gave  birth  to  Ymri,  the  giant 


46 

Frost,  and  his  daughter  Audlmmbla,  the  cow,  on  whose  milk 
Frost  lived.  The  cow's  appetite  was  satisfied  by  her  licking 
the  hoar  and  salt  from  the  ice,  by  which  process  there  emerged 
one  day  from  the  frozen  surface  the  hair  of  a  man  ;  the  next 
day  his  full  head  protruded  from  the  ice ;  on  the  third  day 
the  entire  form  loosened  itself  from  the  block  of  ice  and  salt, 
and  there  stood — a  god.  This  god  married  a  woman  of  whom 
we  know  only  except  that  she  was  of  the  giant  tribe,  and  from 
this  marriage  came  the  three  god-brothers,  Yile,  Ve,  and  Odin. 
Their  first  effort  was  to  dispose  of  Ymri,  the  giant  Frost, 
whose  massive  trunk  supplied  material  for  the  body  of  this 
earth  ;  of  his  blood  the  seas  were  made ;  his  bones  were 
turned  into  all  the  mountains  we  know  of ;  his  skull  was  large 
enough  to  form  the  vault  of  the  firmament ;  his  hair  was  stiff 
enough  to  assume  the  shape  of  forests ;  clouds  pregnant  with 
snow,  rain,  and  hail  were  the  outcome  of  his  brain,  while 
his  eyebrows  furnished  all  that  was  necessary  to  build  up  a 
temperate  zone  for  man's  benefit,  an  Eden  called  Midgard. 
Hereupon  Odin  placed  the  luminaries  above,  telling  them  how 
to  keep  good  time  and  season.  Soon  the  sun's  genial  warmth 
called  forth  a  delightful  vegetation.  The  gods  were  pleased 
with  the  new  world,  but  it  appeared  deserted,  for  there  was  not 
yet  the  human  being,  whom,  by  a  combined  effort  they  made  of 
an  ash-tree,  and  his  wife  of  an  alder,  calling  him  Aske  and  her 
Embla.  Aske  and  Embla  received  their  most  precious  gifts 
directly  from  the  gods.  Odin  gave  them  the  soul,  Vile  reason 
and  motion,  and  of  Ve  they  received  the  five  senses,  human 
features,  and  speech.  Midgard  was  their  first  abode,  and 
they  were  the  ancestors  of  all  men. 

With  this  bird's-eye  view  of  heathen  cosmogonies  we  turn 
to  the  Biblical  panorama  of  creation,  and  we  feel  that,  before 
the  breath  of  Jehovah  the  Infinite,  Incomprehensible,  Eter- 
nal, all  idolatrous  illusions  and  confusions  vanish  like  chaff 
before  the  mighty  north  wind.  Here,  two  facts  are  assumed 
as  beyond  human  comprehension,  viz.,  the  eternity  of  God 
and  the  co-eternity  of  matter.  God  is,  ever  was,  and  in  the 
beginning  of  time  created  heaven  and  earth ;  the  idea  of 
creation  being  co-eternal  with  The  Creator.     God  ever  created ; 


47 

the  substance  of  the  visible  universe  ever  was,  but  not  in  its 
cosmic  distribution,  not  in  an  astronomically  mathematical  re- 
lation, not  robed  in  purified,  glorious  effulgence,  nor  confined 
to  limited  orbits,  nor  inhabited  by  the  myriad  life  of  plant, 
brute,  and  man.  For  the  earth  was  long  "  formless  and  void," 
darkness  hovered  over  the  face  of  the  deep,  and  The  Spirit  of 
The  Creator  was  brooding  over  the  face  of  the  waters.  Let  no 
syllable  pass  unnoticed.  The  term  *]m  in  Hebrew  has  more 
than  one  meaning :  it  means  to  spread  broodingly,  lovingly  as 
the  eagle  over  his  young,  as  the  bird  in  the  act  of  incubation, 
hovering,  cherishing,  vivifying,  tending  tenderly.  The  picture 
overpowers  the  mind.  There  is  more  than  words  can  tell  in 
that  Hebrew  word,  conveying  a  dim  notion  of  Eternal  Wis- 
dom brooding  over  and  impregnating  the  shapeless,  chaotic 
masses  of  darkness  with  the  germs  of  transcendent  beauty 
and  glory,  called  forth  by  the  fiat :  "  Let  there  be  light !  " 
Pass  we  not  thoughtlessly  over  the  fact  that  Israel's  God 
caused  chaos  and  eternal  night  to  recede  by  bursting  on  them 
a  universe  of  light.  How  deeply  Milton  feels  when,  having 
escaped  the  Stygian  pool,  he  exclaims  : — 

"Hail,  holy  light!  offspring  of  Heaven,  first  born, 
Or  of  the  eternal,  eo-eternal  beam  ; 
May  I  express  thee  unblamed?  since  God  is  light 
And  never  but  in  unapproached  light 
Dwelt  from  eternity,  dwelt  then  in  thee, 
Bright  effluence  of  bright  essence  increate." 

Beautiful  as  these  lines  are,  and  true,  they  but  remind  us  of 
Solomon  Ibn  Gabirol's  apostrophe  to  God  as  The  Essence  of 
primordial  light,  He,  the  All-in- All,  omnipotent. 

"  Primeval  light  art  thou,  they  of  upright  soul 
Behold,  but  hidden  from  the  sinful  eye 
Thy  beam ;  thou,  Light,  unseen  below,  but  for 
Immortal  sight  reserved,  seen  beyond 
With  God,  in  heaven's  ethereal  height." 

This  had  been  written  five  centuries  before  the  British  poet 
saw  light,  the  Christian  forever  re-dreaming  the  Jewish  dreams, 
re-realizing  Jewish  realities.  How  much  more  truth  than 
poetry  in  the  thinker's  intuitive  consciousness,  that  light  was 


48 

there  before  the  stars,  it  being  the  universal  element  of  which 
stars,  planets,  ether,  air,  all  things  and  all  creatures  are  full. 
The  more  nature  is  known,  the  wider  prove  her  resources  of 
light,  beginning  with  the  spark  latent  in  the  flint,  and  thus  far 
reaching  up  to  the  electric  candle.  Light  and  heat  are  the  two 
essential  principles  of  life.  Shall  we  not  bow  in  awful  rever- 
ence before  The  Spirit  of  spirits,  who  inspired  the  revelation 
of  the  only  true  cosmogony,  which  opens  with  :  "  Let  there  be 
light !  "  a  glorious  motto  for  an  illustrious  race  to  live  up  to, 
and  strive  by.  Deny,  if  you  can,  that  the  Hebrew  is  man's 
spiritual  eye.  Who  had  the  greatest  of  visions  ?  The  Aryan 
is  forging  artificial  stars ;  the  Semite  takes  them  from  the 
genuine  heavens,  he,  the  Prometheus  of  history. 

And  compatible  with  this  luminous  opening  of  the  grand 
creative  drama,  is  its  sublime  progression  and  its  winding  up 
with  the  loss  of  Eden  by  man,  and  his  acquisition  of  intellect- 
ual light.  Did  man  really  fall  when  he  learned  to  distinguish 
between  good  and  evil,  and  reason,  thought,  took  the  place  of 
instinct  ?  Is  not  the  whole  scheme  of  a  "  fall "  and  a  "  re- 
demption," of  an  "  original  depravity  "  and  a  "  vicarious  atone- 
ment" something  of  a  melodrama  or  a  comedy?  If  the  fruit 
of  knowledge  was  a  curse  to  man,  why  do  the  best  and  the 
wisest  pray,  strive,  long  for  wisdom  ?  Just  give  it  a  thought. 
If  light  in  the  soul  be  a  curse,  why  is  light  universal  hailed 
as  the  blessing  of  blessings  ?  Give  them  sight,  Great  Lord  ! 
Man  did  not  fall  when  a  ray  of  Thy  radiance  irradiated  his 
mind ;  ah  me,  he  fell  when,  sunk  in  error,  he  raised  a  weak, 
erratic  mortal  to  the  dignity  of  a  second  god.  Judaism  stands 
for  light.  One  universal  burst  of  light,  and  Chaos  fled  before 
Order  and  Beauty.  Air,  ether,  land,  fire,  and  water  are  con- 
signed to  their  destined  places,  and  placed  under  immutable 
law,  the  very  scientific  process  which  the  latest  evolutionist 
deems  necessary  to  render  vegetable  and  animal  life  possible. 
The  stars  rotate  and  revolve  in  their  orbits,  and  touched  by 
the  heavenly  beam,  earth  produces  grass,  herbs,  and  trees  after 
their  kind,  all  potential  with  the  power  of  reproduction.  The 
waters  of  the  deep,  and  all  the  elements  being  pregnant  with 
life  and  being,  it  requires  but  The  Divine  fiat  to  people  the 


49 

world,  and  no  sooner  are  the  elements  under  law,  and  each 
constellation  in  its  place,  than  life  breaks  forth  in  abundance  ; 
air,  land,  and  water  teem  with  life,  flying,  swimming,  leaping, 
walking,  singing,  rejoicing.  But  there  is  no  intellect,  no  God- 
like being  to  rule  and  beautify  this  world ;  thus  is  man  made 
in  the  likeness  of  his  Creator,  with  dominion  vested  in  him 
over  all  creatures ;  he,  the  sublimest  Divine  conception  into 
whom  God  breathed  "  the  breath  of  life." 

This  is  the  Hebrew's  great  vision  of  creation.  In  contrast 
to  that  confusion  most  chaotic  we  meet  in  all  known  cosmog- 
onies, our  Genesis  is  graphic,  certain,  and  positive ;  even  the 
dim  background  on  which  the  grand  picture  is  vividly  drawn  ; 
the  only  difference  between  our  philosophy  of  creation  and  that 
of  materialistic  cosmogony,  being  our  conscious  God,  in  Whose 
stead  science  puts  blind  force.  In  our  Genesis  only  the  eternity 
of  God  antedates  the  eternity  of  matter,  an  affirmation  which  is 
henceforth  the  basis  of  Theistic  philosophy.  God  being  as- 
sumed eternal — an  assumption  necessitated  by  our  finite  facul- 
ties being  unable  to  define  things  infinite — -His  innate  Omnipo- 
tence necessarily  follows,  He  being  The  Only  One  Whose  un- 
limited might  is  the  creative  fiat.  Whether  the  fiat  works  in 
a  moment  or  in  a  millennium  is  immaterial,  cycles  being  un- 
counted atoms  in  the  eternity  of  Time.  That  matter  was  eter- 
nal and  prior  to  the  existence  of  light  is  clearly  stated  in  our 
Scriptural  text,  wherein  we  are  informed  that,  after  Elohim 
had  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth  in  the  beginning  of 
time,  "the  earth  was  formless  and  void,  and  darkness  was  on 
the  face  of  the  deep,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the 
face  of  the  waters.  And  God  said,  "  Let  there  be  light,  and 
there  was  light."  Unless  resolved  to  lose  ourselves  in  "  chaos 
and  eternal  night "  it  is  not  easy  to  see  where  we  could  go  for 
a  scientifically  philosophical  account  of  the  beginning  of  things 
beyond  our  Genesis. 

And  in  that  mystic  vast  wherein  all  things  begin  and  cul- 
minate with  the  creation  of  man  there  is  more  than  a  mere 
adumbration  of  his  destiny  in  this  life,  and  in  an  after-state. 
Our  cosmogony  doubtlessly  implies  man's  immortality.  The 
mere  statement  that  the  human  soul  is  breath  of  the  Divine 


50 

Breath  closes  the  point  under  consideration.  If  God  be  eternal 
can  a  part  of  His  Spirit  be  mortal  ?  In  general  to  say  that  the 
Old  Testament  does  not  implicitly  set  forth  the  idea  of  the 
soul's  immortality  is  to  give  a  false  version  of  the  Spirit  of 
Holy  Writ.  When  the  good  Enoch  walked  with  God,  and  was 
no  more  ;  "  for  God  had  taken  him,"  where  did  God  take  him  ? 
When  it  is  recorded  that  the  patriarchs  were  gathered  unto 
their  fathers  long  before  interment,  and  often  far  from  the 
place  of  burial,  unless  it  means  the  gathering  in  of  the  soul  to 
those  of  the  departed,  the  statement  has  no  sense.  When 
Moses  disappears,  when  Samuel's  shade  is  conjured  by  Saul, 
when  Elijah  ascends  alive  to  heaven,  does  not  all  this  imply  a 
popular  belief  in  an  hereafter?  What  meaning  had  Jacob's 
dream  with  its  revelation  of  God,  angels,  and  heavenly  regions, 
if  the  human  spirit  were  excluded  from  those  blissful  abodes  ? 
And  those  spiritual  visions  of  our  prophets  who  see  the  Lord 
Zebaoth  in  the  midst  of  cherubim  and  seraphim,  all  ablaze  with 
glory,  but  for  the  dream  of  life  eternal,  the  settled  sense  that 
the  righteous  share  in  the  blessedness  of  the  beyond,  instead  of 
comforting  and  inspiring  the  devout  seer,  would  have  sunk 
him  into  the  darkest  gloom.  It  were  cruelty  to  reveal  realms 
of  bliss  to  longing,  hoping,  intellectual  beings,  whose  inexora- 
ble destiny  was  decay,  the  grave,  hopeless  darkness,  and  decom- 
position. How  in  the  name  of  truth  and  reason  could  one 
speak  of  Divine  Goodness  and  Love  ?  Why  should  virtue  be 
cherished  and  vice  be  loathed,  there  being  no  retribution  ? 

It  is  erroneous  to  take  it  for  granted  that  in  Biblical  times 
the  Jew  saw  in  the  coffin  the  end  of  all.  One  of  the  healthiest 
Hebrew  qualities  has  ever  been  doubt,  not  begotten  of  a  fertile 
imagination  or  absence  of  spiritual  insight,  but  by  a  hungry 
yearning  after  truth  unveiled,  a  glowing  thirst  to  know  the  un- 
known. Who  knoweth  that  the  human  soul  ascends  on  high, 
while  the  breath  of  the  brute  remaineth  below  ?  queries  the  skep- 
tic, gloomy  Koheleth.  It  is  he,  however,  who  passes  through 
darkness  to  light,  and  reaches  the  conclusion  that  "  God  will 
judge  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  for  there  is  a  time  for 
every  pursuit,  and  there  is  an  account  for  every  deed."  Again : 
"  Every  deed  will  God  bring  unto  judgment,  whether  it  be 


51 

good  or  whether  it  be  bad."  Also :  "  Fear  God  and  keep 
His  commandment,  for  this  is  the  whole  of  man."  Who  spoke 
with  more  emphasis  or  clearness  of  Divine  retribution  ?  Think 
of  "  God  ivill  bring  unto  judgment /"  of  "  when  the  dust  will 
return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  will  return  unto  God 
who  gave  it."  Of  course,  Koheleth  mentions  neither  a  hell  nor  a 
paradise. 

Then  Job,  the  deep,  melancholy,  daring,  skeptic,  martyred 
Job,  with  his  hundred  elegies  on  human  vanity,  ignorance,  suf- 
fering, disappointment,  and  death.  How  he  soars  in  doubt  and 
darkness,  until  the  veil  falls  from  his  eyes,  when,  on  a  sudden, 
light  bursts  on  him,  and  he  knows  that  God's  breath  is  in  man 
who  cannot  die.  "  Truly  there  is  a  spirit  in  man  inspired  by 
the  Almighty."  And  :  "  Well  do  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth,  and  that  He  will  be  the  last  after  all  creatures  of  dust ; 
and  after  my  skin  is  cut  to  pieces  will  this  be,  and  then  freed 
from  my  body,  I  shall  behold  God  !  "  And  Job  typifies  Israel. 
SSo  the  Psalmist,  after  the  gloomiest  views  on  the  ends  of  mor- 
tal humanity,  concludes  in  ecstatic  fervor :  "  Thou  wilt  not 
abandon  my  soul  to  the  grave."  For  did  not  God  make  man 
"  but  a  little  less  than  an  angel  ?  "  Learning  of  his  child's  un- 
timely death,  David  comforts  himself:  "I  am  going  to  him, 
but  he  will  not  return  to  me." 

In  face  of  such  emphatic  expressions  of  a  deep-rooted  faith 
current  in  ancient  Israel,  we  are  calmly  informed  by  the  non- 
Jewish  theologian,  that  immortality  was  a  Christian  invention, 
and  that  the  admission  to  paradise  is  inseparable  from  baptism. 
Considering  the  saint  inquisitors  and  the  chaste  monks  we  are 
likely  to  meet  in  the  orthodox  heaven,  we  are  not  overanxious 
to  share  the  company.  Why  thus  unblushingly  deny  Israel 
the  dream  of  his  dreams,  which  is  the  beholding  of  God  when 
"  freed  from  his  body  1 "  Both  Jesus  and  Mohammed  made 
superhuman  efforts  to  pass  Jewish  specie  as  their  original  coin, 
but  the  imitations  will  not  work.  The  balm  of  Gilead,  like 
the  rose  of  Sharon,  is  inimitable,  and  the  world  grew  wise  and 
bold  enough  to  see  and  to  tell  which  is  which  and  whose  is 
whose.  While  roaming  at  large  in  the  vast  mazes  of  Jewish 
dreams,  ideals,  and  realities,  we  shall  have  frequent  opportunity 


52 

of  alluding  to  tins  topic,  of  which  our  literature  is  full.  Death- 
less, even  in  this  perishable  world,  it  were  folly  on  the  part  of 
the  eternal  race  to  doubt  immortal  life  in  the  beyond.  Juda- 
ism recoils  from  defining  mysteries,  but  it  reposes  unbounded 
confidence  in  the  just  retribution  of  the  only  Just  and  True 
God. 

And  as  our  God,  so  our  ideal,  our  life,  and  our  endeavors. 
We  may  reasonably  expect  a  nation  or  denomination  to  be 
worse  than  its  gods,  but  we  can  never  expect  the  worshiper  to 
be  better  than  the  power  he  worships.  Thus  can  we  account 
for  the  nature  and  dealings  of  the  priests  in  Greece,  Egypt,  and 
Rome,  the  apostles  in  Judea,  the  saints  in  Arabia,  the  Druids 
in  Britain,  the  cannibals  on  the  Pacific  Islands,  the  pontiffs  and 
their  agents  in  mediaeval  Europe.  Man  is  at  best  like  his  God 
or  his  gods.  The  worshipers  of  Moloch,  like  those  of  Huitzila- 
pachtli  are  like  their  gods,  blood-thirsty,  inhuman,  ferocious, 
environed  with  altars  reeking  with  the  stench  of  human  gore. 
Aye,  man  like  his  gods  !  How  else  could  you  explain  the  in- 
quisitorial hells  and  horrid  days  of  judgment  Catholicism  has 
instituted  on  earth  ?  Was  not  each  pope,  each  inquisitor,  each 
monk  the  embodiment  of  Dante's  Minos  with  his  tail  slung 
around  the  trembling  reprobate  ?  Man's  God  is  in  his  heart, 
his  mind,  and  his  light  and  salvation,  his  darkness  and  perdi- 
tion, or,  as  the  vulgar  call  it,  his  hell  and  his  heaven,  spring 
from  within,  not  from  without,  not  from  things  and  influences 
that  are  beyond  his  self.  "  I  am  that  I  am,"  said  Almighty  to 
Moses.  "  I  am  what  I  think,  believe,  feel,  and  act,"  says  the 
Jew  to  the  world.  "  If  you  force  me  to  comply  with  your 
dictates,  then  I  am  no  more  :  my  individuality  ceases  and  there 
is  no  cause  for  my  being.  My  God  is  in  my  soul,  whom  else 
shall  I  obey  %  Urge  me  not  to  be  prudent,  to  tread  the  beaten 
highways,  to  do  as  the  Romans  do,  to  swim  with  the  current, 
vote  with  the  majority,  be  one  of  the  common  flock,  because  I 
would  otherwise  be  driven  from  the  fat  pastures.  I  reply,  un- 
less you  convince  me  that  growing  fat  is  the  end  of  life,  I  shall 
persist  in  being  myself ;  in  looking  into  my  own  heart,  in  ac- 
cepting what  seems  to  me  true  and  rejecting  what  appears 
untrue." 


53 

That  man  is  seldom  as  good  as,  and  often  much  worse  than, 
his  gods  history  confirms.  In  Lacedaemon  the  aged  citizen 
was  required  to  loan  his  younger  wife  to  the  lusty  youth  for 
the  benefit  of  the  State.  For  Homer  sang  of  Jupiter's  im- 
moralities, and  it  could  never  occur  to  mortals  to  be  more 
chaste  than  their  chief-god.  So  were  the  orgies  of  Bacchus 
supposed  to  be  grateful  to  this  god  of  the  wine.  It  taxed  all 
the  eloquence  of  the  best  biographers  to  clear  the  name  of 
Socrates  of  unspeakable  imputations.  If  Greece  was  beauti- 
ful, like  Cleopatra,  she  was  profligate.  And  Rome,  world- 
enslaving,  kingdom-wrecking,  ungenerous,  greedy  Rome, 
Rome  of  the  Caesars,  was  she  not  like  the  Rome  of  the  popes, 
the  very  personification  of  her  gods  ?  Her  delight  the  gladi- 
ator's agony  ;  her  triumph  the  execution  of  captive  princes 
and  the  slavery  of  noble  nations.  What  did  she  know  of  those 
higher  sympathies  with  humanity  which  sprang  from  the  high- 
est God-ideal  of  Judea  %  Let  the  shade  of  Hannibal,  the 
ruthless  destruction  of  Carthage,  the  chains  of  an  oppressed 
world  speak. 

Turn  to  Judea,  and  here,  as  elsewhere,  you  see  man  act  as 
his  God  inspires  him.  What  a  distance  between  the  God  of 
Moses,  Samuel,  David,  Isaiah,  Micah,  Hillel,  Philo,  Saadia, 
Maimonides,  Ibn  Ezra,  Mendelssohn  and  Montefiore,  and  that 
of  Peter  and  Paul,  of  Hildebrand  and  Luther,  of  Calvin  and 
the  modern  revivalists  !  What  a  difference  in  the  ideal,  what  a 
distance  in  real  life  !  Rather  than  a  Ferdinand  the  Catholic, 
a  Gregory  IX.,  a  James  II.,  give  us  a  Spinoza,  a  Thomas 
Paine,  a  Goethe,  a  Darwin.  Rather  a  charitable  skepticism 
than  a  Medusa-faced  theology.  We  shall  see,  as  we  advance, 
how  the  real  and  the  ideal  coincide  in  Israel  as  well  as  every- 
where in  old  and  modern  times. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

OUR  PROPHET'S   DREAM. 

In  the  heart  of  ancient  Israel  prophecy  was  the  ever-glowing 
pillar  of  light  to  the  people  and  the  guiding  star  of  an  exalted 
class  of  intensely  religious  statesmen,  orators,  and  preachers. 
Similar  in  show,  but  wholly  different  in  nature,  was  the  oc- 
cult science  of  divination  that  held  unbounded  sway  among 
the  heathen  nations.  Neither  is  that  superstition  a  matter  of 
the  past  or  confined  to  the  barbarous  masses.  The  Oriental 
despot  is  still  shaping  his  policy  in  conformity  with  the  inter- 
preted omens  of  his  court  astrologer.  As  late  as  the  fifteenth 
century  the  Spanish  Moors,  then  the  most  civilized  people  of 
Europe,  were  in  their  social,  domestic,  and  state  affairs  entirely 
guided  by  the  horoscope.  When  on  issuing  from  the  gates  of 
Granada  to  the  battle-field  Boabdil's  lance  was  broken,  and 
soon  after  his  pathway  crossed  by  a  fox,  everybody  gave  up 
the  ill-fated  king  as  a  victim  of  an  inexorable  fate,  since  at  his 
birth  the  santons  presaged  evil  to  come  for  his  kingdom  dur- 
ing his  reign.  Among  semi-barbarians  and  savages  divination 
enjoys  the  veneration  of  religion ;  cards,  plants,  lots,  the  flight 
of  birds,  entrails  of  animals,  the  grunting  of  hogs,  and  the 
snuffing  of  the  air  by  cattle,  being  considered  instruments 
through  which  the  future  may  be  read.  Ghosts  and  devils  are 
supposed  to  commune  with  man  through  visions.  We  are  told 
that  the  Kamchatkan  expects  the  unwelcome  Russian  official 
as  often  as  he  dreams  of  dogs  and  vermin.  As  to  soothsay- 
ing and  fortune-telling  by  deciphering  the  lines  of  the  hand, 
they  are  not  out  of  fashion  with  many  inhabiting  quarters  of 
considerable  enlightenment.  In  the  old  Orient  Chaldsea  had 
her  reputation  established  as  the  hot-bed  of  magic  and  astro- 
logical divination,  while  the  Grecian  oracle  and  the  Roman 
augur  were  influences  without  which  the  earlier  history  of  the 

(55) 


56 

rise  and  development  of  those  lands  could  scarcely  be  under- 
stood. 

Jupiter  being  the  chief  divinity  of  Rome,  the  augur's  pro- 
vince of  anxious  study  was  the  sky,  its  flashes  of  lightning,  as 
well  as  the  flight  and  screams  of  birds,  and  the  examination  of 
the  victims'  entrails  sacrificed  to  the  gods.     The  greatest  public 
transactions,  such  as  the  meeting  of  the  senate,  the  installation 
of  a  new  consul  or  praetor,  the  declaration  of   war  or  the 
making  of  peace,  were  all  proceeded  with  according  to  the 
augur's  interpretation  of  the  given  omens.     Famous  among 
the  old  Greeks  were  the'  oracles  of  Dodona,  of  Delphi,  of 
Trophonius  at  Lebodea,  and  of  Esculapius.     One  day  a  black 
dove  directed  from  on  high  told  the  people  of  Dodona  that 
Jupiter  wanted  an  oracle  established  in  their  place,  and  they 
did  as  commanded.     Another  bird  of  the  same  feather  de- 
livered a  similar  message  in  the  Lybian  Oasis,  where  Jupi- 
ter had  a  temple.     Some  substitute  black-eyed  priestesses  for 
birds  in  this   story,  whom    Phoenicians   stole   at   Thebes,  in 
Egypt,  to  make  them  preside  over  the  oracles  of  Dodona  and 
the  Oasis,  theft  being  a  minor  offense  in   sacred  endeavors 
sanctioned  by  the  gods.     Goats  pasturing  on  Mount  Parnassus 
and  thrown  into  convulsions  by  vapors  which  issued  from  a 
cleft  caused  one  of  the  shepherds  to  try  the  effect  of  the  vapor 
on  himself.     He  was  similarly  affected,  talked  incoherently ; 
and  this  was  taken  as  a  manifest  indication  that  some  god  or 
goddess — later  believed  to  be  mother  earth  or  Gea  herself — 
was  willing  to  reveal  some  secrets  for  the  benefit  of  man.     A 
temple  rose  over  the  cleft,  a  priestess  named  Pythia  had  charge 
of  it,  her  task  being  to  cleanse  herself  in  the  crystal  water  of 
the  fountain  Castalia,  then  inhale  the  sacred  air  or  steam,  sink 
into  convulsions,  rave  and  talk  unintelligibly,  and  thus  supply 
the  material  for  the  deep  wisdom  of  interpreting  priests.     The 
oracle  of  Trophonius  was  a  fearful  thing  to  consult,  for  the 
one  who  sought  advice  of  him  had  to  descend  to  a  subterra- 
neous place,  where  he  saw  things  so  frightful  that  he  never 
could  smile  again.     The  temple  of   Esculapius  was  the  sick 
man's  resort,  for  he  was  the  god  of  healing  and  of  medicine ; 
he  could  cure  every  sickness,  his  favorite  symbol  being  the 


57 

serpent.  Apis  was  simply  a  bull,  whose  forebodings  were 
clearly  indicated  by  his  accepting  or  declining  the  food  prof- 
fered by  the  suppliant. 

As  in  Kome,  so  in  Greece,  the  greatest  events,  such  as  the 
Trojan  war,  the  founding  of  new  cities  and  colonies,  were  ini- 
tiated, carried  on,  and  closed  by  the  guidance  and  inspiration 
of  the  oracle,  whose  ambiguous  ravings  were  ambiguously  in- 
terpreted by  ambiguous  priests,  often  barbarous,  ignorant,  su- 
perstitious, time-serving,  and  the  tools  of  men  in  power. 
Seldom  did  the  oracle  foretell  against  the  will  or  interest  of 
the  powerful,  and  his  prophecies  always  had  a  loophole  through 
which,  should  they  turn  out  false,  he  could  cunningly  escape. 
One  feels  more  inclined  to  respect  that  credulous  barbarian 
who  goes  to  sleep  on  the  grave  of  some  dead  hero,  hoping  to 
secure  in  a  vision  good  counsel  from  the  hero's  ghost,  than 
those  spurious  oracles  who  based  their  prophecies  on  supersti- 
tious absurdities,  or  on  the  mad  ravings  of  an  ignorant  woman 
in  convulsions.  But  we  must  recognize  in  this  fact  the  unfail- 
ing fitness  of  things,  as  it  invariably  comes  to  the  surface  in 
the  general  course  of  history.  As  the  mythology  and  theoso- 
phy,  so  the  ethics  and  the  prophecy.  As  the  gods,  so  their 
oracles. 

What  prophets  must  they  then  be  who  are  inspired  to  pro- 
claim, foretell  the  justice  and  mercy  of  Israel's  Inscrutable, 
Infinite  God  !  We  cannot  much  improve  on  the  line  which 
Philo  Judseus  draws  between  Judean  and  heathen  prophecy. 
The  Hebrew  prophet,  he  maintains,  is  the  chosen  instrument 
through  whom  The  Almighty  makes  His  will  known,  the 
prophet  obeying  nothing  but  Divine  inspiration  ;  he  speaks  in 
ecstatic  delight,  like  the  harmoniously-shaped  instrument  dis- 
coursing ravishing  music  in  the  hand  of  Apollo.— -Not  so  the 
heathen  oracle.  He  is  too  conscious  of  his  business,  too  doubt- 
ful of  his  prophetic  visions,  to  be  frank,  outspoken,  straight- 
forward, and  positive  in  his  forebodings.  Having  no  power, 
no  inspirations  to  reveal,  he  must  needs  deceive,  obscurity  be- 
ing his  safeguard  against  ridicule  or  popular  skepticism.  If 
he  happened  to  hit  the  thing,  well ;  if  he  failed,  there  he  stood, 
furnished  with  an  evasive  answer  ;  he  was  misunderstood.     A 


58 

king  consults  him  :  "If  I  go  to  war  with  that  land  whose  will 
be  the  victory  ? "  "  If  yon  go  to  war  a  city  shall  fall,"  answers 
the  oracle.  The  monarch  is  snre  of  victory,  goes  to  war,  is  de- 
feated, and  his  capital  is  taken.  And  the  oracle  %  Well,  he 
said,  "  A  city  shall  fall ; "  his  prophecy  was  verified.  The 
Delphian  oracle  declared  Socrates  to  be  the  wisest  Greek  when 
nobody  in  Hellas  had  the  least  doubt  about  it,  It  was  natural 
that  an  institution  of  this  nature  should,  as  ancient  civilization 
advanced,  become  the  laughing-stock  of  the  knowing  and  the 
pliable  tool  in  the  hands  of  authority,  tyrannical  or  otherwise, 
who,  in  order  to  derive  sanction  from  the  gods,  exacted  obedi- 
ence of  ignorance  by  causing  false  oracles  to  reveal  a  false 
message  from  above.  These  oracles  were  not  yet  silenced  at 
the  birth  of  Jesus,  as  Christian  authors  would  have  it,  but  they 
died  their  natural  death  at  the  birth  of  that  higher  philosophi- 
cal thought  which  \vas  the  offspring  of  the  fusion  of  Hellenic 
culture  with  Jewish  intuition,  Monotheism,  and  prophecy. 

Our  prophet's  dream  is  something  distinctly  original,  phe- 
nomenal, transcendental,  and  will  admit  of  no  comparison 
with  anything  that  passes  under  the  name  of  prophecy.  Our 
prophet  was,  first  of  all,  poet,  patriot,  and  preacher  ;  a  student 
of  his  time,  and  a  far-seeing  statesman.  In  a  certain  sense  it 
may  be  said  that  Israel's  prophetic  genius  was  more  emphatic- 
ally accentuated  in  history  than  his  priestly  endeavors;  for 
our  primitive  patriarchs  were  more  of  the  prophet  than  of  the 
priest,  while  the  nature  of  our  divine  law-giver  leaves  no  doubt 
as  to  his  deep  prophetic  intuitions.  If  seeing  things  hidden  in 
dim  futurity  be  the  endowment  of  the  prophet,  who  saw  fur- 
ther than  Abraham,  Jacob,  and  Moses?  Abraham  has  the 
first  mystic  vision,  looks  into  the  stars,  sees  millenniums  in  ad- 
vance of  time  ;  Jacob,  likewise,  dreams  the  prophet's  dream  and 
his  happy  vista  extends  beyond  any  computation  of  ages,  em- 
bracing a  boundless  future  to  be  blessed  in  his  posterity.  His 
testamentary  foreshadowings  are  a  Divinely-inspired  prophecy, 
unexcelled  by  any  other  we  know  of,  and  fulfilled  in  every  par- 
ticular. Whatever  he  tells  his  sons  on  his  death-bed  concerns 
things  to  happen  only.  "  Gather  yourselves  together  that  I 
may  tell  you  what  shall  befall  you  in  the  last  days,"  after  which 


59 

each  son  hears  a  premonition  of  his  future  destiny.  And  how 
far  the  visions  of  Moses  go  out  when  he  speaks  of  things  to 
come  !  The  whole  Book  of  Deuteronomy  is  one  marvelous 
prophecy  of  what  the  times  have  in  store  for  Israel,  good  or 
evil,  dependent  upon  his  relations  to  God  and  His  Law  of 
truth  and  righteousness.  A  chill  runs  through  the  blood  on 
contemplating  how  the  centuries  verified  those  threatening 
visitations  because  of  Israel's  disloyalty  to  the  Divine  Law. 
Ah,  me !  the  unparalleled  agonies  of  the  children  of  the  patri- 
archs among  nations  of  "  fierce  visage,  that  will  not  have  re- 
spect for  the  old,  nor  show  favor  to  the  young,"  as  well  as  the 
loss  of  the  Promised  Land,  were  all  predicted  by  Moses.  An 
unrighteous,  homicidal  Church  justified  her  murderous  deal- 
ings with  Israel's  seed  by  pointing  to  the  invented  predictions 
of  her  mythical  Jesus,  a  god  who,  we  are  assured,  wished  to  be 
crucified  for  the  salvation  of  man,  and,  having  been  treated  as 
he  wished,  turned  all  his  wrath,  and  that  of  his  God-Father, 
against  the  very  people  who  did  their  best  to  gratify  his  will. 
Ah,  this  madhouse  of  a  world  !  We  know  better,  poor,  hunted, 
loyal,  scattered  flock,  beloved  of  Him  who  "  chastises  such  as 
He  loveth."  On  reading  our  great  epic  of  a  nineteen  centu- 
ries' heroic  martyrdom  it  is  impossible  not  to  recall  the  con- 
tents of  the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of  Deuteronomy,  where 
every  word  and  phrase  uttered  by  inspiration  is  by  this  time  a 
crystallized  event,  staring  one  in  the  eye  as  if  to  say  :  Just  as 
I  foretold,  so  it  came  to  pass.  So  are  the  closing  paragraphs 
of  that  same  Book  a  perfect  mirror,  prophetically  reflecting  the 
events  to  come,  events  many  of  which  are  now  reckoned  with 
the  past.  Every  tribe  has  here  his  future  destiny  foretold  in 
a  style  of  poetry  and  prophecy.  It  is  all  uncontrollable  inspi- 
ration, the  "  Divine  Spirit "  prompting  the  spirit  that  dwells 
in  the  upright  heart. 

Yet  neither  the  patriarchs  nor  Moses  are  generally  con- 
sidered prophets  in  the  sense  in  which  this  term  is  commonly 
understood.  We  have  been  taught  to  look  for  the  beginning 
of  prophecy  to  the  age  of  Samuel,  to  the  school  of  which  he  is 
the  acknowledged  founder.  Not  until  after  Samuel  does 
prophecy  become  the  regular  calling  of  an  exalted  class,  who 


60 

feel  themselves  destined  to  proclaim  and  sustain  the  highest 
ideal  in  which  Judaism  culminates,  the  Unity  of  Jehovah,  His 
unimpeachable  justice,  love,  and  mercy,  and  the  universal 
brotherhood  and  equality  of  all  men.  The  prophet's  resistless 
authority  is  expressed  in  the  four  syllables,  "  Thus  saith  the 
Lord."  He  has  no  will,  no  policy  of  his  own ;  it  is  the  Lord 
Zebaoth  who  touches  his  lip  with  fire,  opens  his  eyes,  and 
causes  him  to  speak  undaunted,  whether  the  guilty  be  king, 
queen,  or  people.  Open,  fearless,  intensely  patriotic,  glowing 
with  religious  ardor  for  the  sacred  cause,  the  prophet,  when 
called  upon  to  denounce  evil,  is  wholly  forgetful  of  self,  heed- 
less of  consequences,  yielding  himself  up  to  the  transport  of 
fiery  inspiration,  using  speech  as  sharp  and  cutting  as  a  scor- 
pion whip,  and  withering  the  object  of  his  righteous  indigna- 
tion. We  look  in  vain  for  another  instance  where  men  of 
apparently  obscure  origin,  of  whom  nothing  is  said  or  heard 
ere  they  act,  on  a  sudden,  stand  frowning  before  the  absolute 
ruler  of  Israel  with  a  seething  prophecy  on  the  lip,  which 
sends  a  shudder  through  monarch,  court,  and  people,  conjuring 
terror  and  gloom  over  the  whole  kingdom.  "King,  you  are 
a  sinner,  and  vengeance  is  at  your  heel !  "  How  mighty  the 
picture  Nathan  sets  up  before  David  in  the  case  of  Uriah's 
murder.  Stung  in  his  conscience,  unable  to  withstand  the 
enormity  of  the  crime,  the  humiliated  king  remorsefully  rues 
his  guilt :  "  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord  ! "  What  a 
triumph  here  of  Divine  prophecy  over  earthly  majesty  !  and 
such  things  have  happened  again  and  again.  What  an  ado 
has  been  made  about  a  Peter  the  Hermit,  who  caused  streams 
of  innocent  blood  to  flow  in  the  interest  of  what?  How  many 
dissolute  popes  have  been  canonized  without  a  hint  at  their 
corrupt  individuality.  Wellnigh  sixteen  centuries  had  to  pass 
before  a  monk  had  the  courage  to  name  the  corruptions  of  in- 
fallible papacy  and  celibate  monachism,  and  the  pope  was 
rather  slow  in  acknowledging  the  compliment,  while  the  monk 
is  proclaimed  the  Christian  Eeformer.  Contrast  Luther  with 
Isaiah. 

The   power  of    Hebrew  prophecy  lies  in  its  positiveness. 
There  is  no  ambiguousness  in  the  inspired  denunciation  and 


61 

the  announcement  of  the  impending  punishment  uttered  by 
Nathan  against  the  king.  The  child,  the  fruit  of  the  crime, 
will  die,  and  other  evils  will  closely  follow,  all  happening  as 
foretold.  It  stands  open  to  reason  that  an  absolute  monarch, 
as  David  was,  would  not  readily  submit  to  the  reprimands  and 
threatenings  of  a  subject  if  the  prophet's  inspiration  had  not 
been  generally  accepted  as  a  positive  message  from  above.  A 
plague  decimating  the  Jewish  population  is,  likewise,  unhesi- 
tatingly imputed  by  another  prophet,  Gad,  to  the  king,  who, 
in  disobedience  to  the  Highest  Will,  caused  a  census  to  be 
taken  of  his  people.  High  must  have  been  the  station  of  the 
prophet,  who  could  thus  chastise  the  follies  of  an  otherwise 
noble  monarch. 

So  closely  were  patriotic  prophecy  and  statesmanship  inter- 
woven that  every  wise  king  in  Israel  dared  not  for  a  moment 
disregard  the  advice  and  suggestions  of  the  prophetic  leader. 
The  extent  of  the  prophet's  influence  is  clearly  shown  by 
Samuel's  proceeding  in  his  objecting  to  dynastic  rulers,  in  his 
crowning,  tirst,  and  later  rejection  of  Saul,  and  in  his  anoint- 
ing David  to  succeed  that  unfortunate  monarch.  But  for 
Nathan's  interference,  Adonijah  would  have  ruled  instead  of 
Solomon.  It  was  the  prophet  Ahijah  who  transferred  ten 
tribes  of  Israel  to  Jeroboam  because  of  Solomon's  degeneracy. 
But  these  influences  would  have  been  easily  counteracted  by 
statecraft  had  there  not  been  a  resistless  power  back  of  the 
prophet,  which  placed  his  authority  beyond  question,  and  that 
was  the  fulfillment  of  all  he  foretold  in  the  Name  of  God. 
The  proof  of  his  Divine  mandate  lay  in  the  fact  of  its  real- 
ization. You  may  refute  and  disregard  theories,  but  you  are 
bound  to  face  realities. — The  culmination  of  prophetic  glory, 
however,  seems  to  have  reached  its  zenith  in  the  awfully  mys- 
tic personality  and  supernatural  doings  of  Elijah.  Springing 
from  perfect  obscurity,  with  nothing  save  his  stern  dignity  to 
shield  him,  with  no  record  that  we  know  of,  but  a  manhood  of 
intense  virility ;  terribly  fearless,  sacredly  devout,  with  earth 
and  heaven  open  to  his  gaze,  yea,  ready  to  obey  his  bidding, 
Elijah,  as  the  Himalayas  among  the  mountains,  towers  loftily 
above  all  his  predecessors  and  successors,  a  mystery  forever 


62 

unsolved.  Like  a  phantom  apparition  he  emerges  nobody 
knows  whence,  he  disappears  nobody  knows  whither,  baffling 
the  inhuman  snares  and  persecutions  of  an  unsteady,  uxorious 
king  and  a  heathenish  queen,  who  leaves  nothing  untried  to 
undo  her  most  acrimonious  foe.  Next  to  the  great  enactment 
on  Horeb  the  scene  on  Carmel  is  the  most  sublime  and  over- 
powering, and  not  to  be  accounted  for  by  anything  short  of 
the  prophet's  immediate,  awful  intimacy  with  the  Great  Su- 
preme. The  spiritual  world  seems  open  to  Elijah.  Angels 
feed  him,  guard  him ;  birds  make  shade  for  him  ;  the  Jordan's 
tide  divides  to  let  him  pass  dryshod  ;  rain  comes  when  he  tells  ; 
fire  flashes  from  heaven  when  he  calls ;  nay,  death  himself 
Adelds  up  his  victims  when  he  commands.  Poor  necromancy  • 
was  that  of  Jesus,  indeed,  confronted  by  the  supernatural 
workings  of  an  Elijah,  who  did  not  even  deem  it  necessary  to 
be  crucified  and  buried  in  order  to  ascend  transfigured  to  the 
skies.  Such  a  career  and  such  an  end  !  A  soul  of  fire,  blast- 
ing vice  with  a  lash  of  fire,  proving  Jehovah's  Omnipotence 
by  heaven's  fire,  and  rising  skyward  in  a  chariot  of  fire,  there 
to  live  in  bliss,  the  intimate  of  God.  Pitiful  performers  Mo- 
hammed and  Jesus  with  their  second-hand  imitations  of  the 
inimitable.  To  change  water  into  wine,  and  exorcise  seven 
devils  from  one  poor  fallen  female,  are  performances  unworthy 
of  the  "  Son  of  God,"  still  less  of  God  Himself.  Our  necro- 
mancers can  do  better. — A  faint  negative  of  Elijah's  stupend- 
ous career  are  the  recorded  miracles  performed  by  the  son  of 
Mary,  who  likewise  fled  to  a  desert,  lived  on  little  or  noth- 
ing, communed  with  angels,  and  walked  on  the  water.  The 
only  omission  in  that  record  we  sincerely  deplore  is  the  ascen- 
sion in  unchanged  human  form  which  Jesus  found  impossible 
to  accomplish.  Ah,  what  a  Tophet  of  carnage,  crime,  outrage, 
and  sin  such  an  end  of  his  would  have  spared  this  poor  deluded 
world ! — For  whom  shall  we  exchange  our  Elijah,  the  nonpa- 
reil ?  No  wonder  this  prophet  has,  to  the  Jewish  mind,  become 
the  symbol  of  the  highest  man,  sage,  prophet,  and  angel  all  in 
one.  He,  the  martyr  to  truth  below,  Israel's  pleader  above,  har- 
binger of  good,  the  bearer  of  food  for  the  poor,  of  healing  for 
the  sick ;'  present  at  every  union  and  consummation  of  bridal 


63 

love,  and  sitting  on  the  chair  where  the  babe's  body  is  bared 
for  the  operation  that  admits  him  to  the  Abrahamic  alliance. 
Having  an  Abraham,  a  Moses,  a  Samuel,  and  an  Elijah  to 
boast  of  as  fathers  and  teachers,  who  would  grow  jealous  of 
races  who  have  their  Homer  and  their  Virgil,  their  Plato 
and  their  Cato,  their  Buddha,  Zoroaster,  their  Jesus  and  Mo- 
hammed ?  Truly,  small  figures  are  these  in  face  of  those  un- 
earthly lofty  ones  who  are  the  foundation  of  all.  To  be  a 
Jew,  does  it  not  mean  to  keep  the  ethereal  stream  of  prophecy 
alive  ?  Does  it  not  imply  war  against  the  degenerate  Ahabs, 
the  dissolute,  murderous  Jezebels,  and  the  never-failing  false 
prophets  of  Baal  ?  The  prophet  is  the  authorized  interpreter 
of  the  Divine  Will,  for,  says  Amos,  "  The  Eternal  will  do 
nothing  unless  He  reveals  His  secrets  to  His  servant,  the 
prophet." 

The  incalculable  blessings  which  flow  from  prophetic  Juda- 
ism for  the  cause  of  religion  at  large  is  to  be  acknowledged  in 
the  reality  that  the  sweet  hopes  and  golden  promises  it  is  con- 
stantly holding  out  for  the  righteous  are  not  exclusively  in- 
tended for  the  chosen  race,  but  for  humanity  as  one  family. 
Neither  the  prophet's  ideal  dream  nor  his  vindication  of  Divine 
justice  and  goodness  implies  such  a  narrow  limit  as,  at  his  time, 
excluded  Judea  from  all  other  creeds  and  races.  No,  the 
prophet  recognizes  neither  geographical,  nor  tribal,  nor  racial 
boundaries  and  limitations;  he  speaks  of  humanity  to  human- 
ity as  children  of  the  same  Eternal  Father ;  he  wages  relent- 
less war  against  paganism,  but  has  the  tenderest  love  for  the 
pagan,  whom  he  invites  to  smite  his  idols  and  turn  toward  the 
"  mountain  of  the  Lord."  His  fraternal  greeting  is,  "  Have 
we  not  all  One  Father  %  Did  not  One  God  make  us  all  %  "  but 
he  has  "  no  peace  for  the  wicked."  And  those  glorious  dreams, 
those  rosy  visions  he  unfolds  for  the  just,  the  upright,  the 
faithful,  and  the  servants  of  the  Eternal  One !  Chaos  and 
darkness,  pestilence  and  leprosy,  sickness  and  famine,  death 
and  sheol,  the  fires  of  heaven  and  the  elements  of  nature,  he 
invokes  to  rise  simultaneously  and  wipe  out  vice  and  corruption 
before  the  wrath  of  The  Lord;  but  no  poet  equals  him  in 
grandeur  of    speech,  in  beauty  of    simile  and  metaphor,  in 


64 

depth  of  pathos  and  cataracts  of  seething  eloquence  when, 
catching  the  inspiration  of  heavenly  peace,  he  pours  forth  in 
sweet  torrents  his  yearning  prophetic  soul,  telling  of  that 
Messianic  era  when  the  sword  shall  be  changed  into  a  plough- 
share, "  the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  sheep,  the  leopard  lie 
down  with  the  kid ;  the  calf,  the  lion's  whelp,  and  the  fatling 
shall  lie  together,  and  a  little  boy  shall  lead  them  ;  and  the  cow 
shall  feed  with  the  she-bear,  together  shall  their  young  ones 
rest ;  like  the  ox  the  lion  shall  eat  straw ;  the  suckling  shall 
play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  on  the  basilisk's  den  the  weaned 
child  shall  lay  his  hand ;  they  shall  not  hurt  nor  destroy  on  all 
My  holy  mountain,  for  the  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge 
of  The  Lord,  as  water  covers  the  sea."  The  salvation  of  man 
lies  in  "  knowledge  of  The  Lord,"  ignorance  being  the  origin  of 
sin  and  evil.  A  true  appreciation  or  depreciation  of  things 
perishable  is,  in  the  mind  of  the  prophet,  bound  to  bring  about 
an  ideal  and  spiritual  yearning  for  things  eternal,  for  virtue, 
love  of  God,  and  love  of  man.  The  keynote,  the  ideal  of 
prophetic  Judaism,  is  "  the  knowledge  of  The  Lord,"  whom 
to  know  means  to  be  like  Him,  wise,  good,  and  true.  False 
prophet  he  who  recommends  the  sword  as  an  instrument  of 
conversion;  false  apostles  they  who  preach  hatred  and  division, 
practice  fraud  and  persecution.  The  true  prophet's  message 
is  "  peace,  peace  to  the  near  and  the  far."  Dr.  K.  Lippe  sums 
up  the  difference  between  Jewish  and  Christian  prophecy  in  the 
following  contrast  of  principle.  The  Lord  promises  through 
the  prophet  Malachi  to  send  Elijah  "  before  the  coming  of  the 
day  of  The  Lord,  the  great  and  the  dreadful.  And  he  shall 
turn  back  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and  the 
hearts  of  the  children  to  their  fathers."  Kead  Matthew  x.  34. 
"  I  am  come  to  arouse  man  against  his  father,  the  daughter 
against  her  mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother- 
in-law,"  such  is  the  policy  of  the  "  prince  of  peace."  That 
our  prophet's  dream  be  realized  the  Jew  was  Providentially 
preserved,  but  his  ways  and  means  must  be  prophetic,  fearless 
in  branding  vice  as  hateful  to  God  and  man,  eloquent  in  glori- 
fying the  good,  the  beautiful,  and  the  true.  Such  is  the 
prophet's  ideal. 


65 

Nobody  should  write  the  last  line  on  Hebrew  Prophecy  with- 
out an  allusion  to  its  magnificent  imagery,  the  fullness  of  the 
picturesque,  the  beauty  of  style,  and  the  awful  mystic  sublimity 
with  which  the  visions  are  received  and  imparted.  In  every 
case  the  seer  speaks  of  self  as  perfectly  passive  and  objective, 
until  placed  in  unearthly  surroundings,  confronted  with  mystic 
sights,  and  called  upon  to  accept  the  charge  of  delivering  a  per- 
emptory message.  However  strange  the  vision  the  message  is 
simple  and  direct,  forewarning  events  sure  to  happen,  unless 
the  cause  be  removed.  Though  environed  with  myriads  of 
angels,  cherubim,  and  seraphim ;  though  aglow  with  dazzling 
impenetrable  light,  it  is  always  God  Himself  who  speaks  and 
trains  the  prophet's  lips  to  reveal  His  decree,  even  to  the 
wording  and  illustration.  Beautiful  is  the  comparison  of 
Israel's  relation  to  God  with  that  of  the  bride  to  the  bride- 
groom, whose  young  love  or  honeymoon  is  compared  with  that 
period  when  young  Israel  was  lovingly  followed  by  The  Al- 
mighty through  the  desert.  Zion  is  likened  to  a  divorced 
mother,  who,  however,  has  no  bill  of  divorcement ;  or  to  a 
vineyard  intended  to  bring  forth  grapes,  instead  of  which  its 
produce  is  worthless.  Disloyal  Jerusalem  is  a  barren  woman, 
whose  husband,  The  Lord,  should  she  turn  loyal  again,  promises 
to  make  her  fruitful.  But  the  most  frequent  likeness  of 
Israel  the  prophet  avails  himself  of  is  light.  The  nations  and 
their  sovereigns  are  to  be  enlightened  by  a  radiance  bursting 
from  Zion.  "  Through  thee  the  world's  ancient  ruins  shall  be 
rebuilt,"  says  the  prophet,  ever  having  the  universal  welfare 
in  eye.  Prophecy  is  universal  Freemasonry,  its  mission  being 
constructive,  not  destructive — a  perpetual  building  up  of  the 
temples  of  humanity  fallen  or  desecrated. 

A  thrilling  vision  is  that  of  Ezekiel,  who  tells  us  how  the 
spirit  seized  and  landed  him  in  a  valley  full  of  dry  human 
bones.  He  is  commanded  to  speak  to  the  bones  in  the  Name 
of  The  Lord,  telling  them  that  by  Divine  interference  they 
would  once  more  be  restored  to  life.  Doing  as  he  is  bidden  he 
hears  the  bones  rattle,  sees  them  join,  assume  all  the  signs  of 
animation,  sinew,  flesh,  skin,  and  all,  except  the  soul,  the  prin- 
ciple of  life.     He  is  again  induced  to  prophesy :  "  From  the  four 


6G 

winds  come,  O  spirit,  and  breathe  into  the  dead  bones  that  they 
may  live.'' — "And  there  came  into  them  the  spirit  and  they  lived 
and  rose  on  their  feet  an  exceedingly  great  host."  Reference 
is  made  in  Pharisaic  literature  to  this  ghastly  vision  as  unques- 
tionable evidence  of  bodily  resurrection;10  but  what  should 
not  be  overlooked  is  -the  prophet's  deepest  consciousness  of 
Divine  Unity,  "  From  the  four  winds  come,  O  spirit,"  since 
everywhere  is  the  Spirit  of  The  Lord. 

How  preposterous  to  base  a  trinitarian  creed  on  Jewish 
Prophecy !  The  most  glorious  vision  of  the  Messianic  era 
closes  with  "  On  that  day  shall  The  Lord  be  One  and  His  Name 
One."  God's  sovereign  Unity  is  the  prophet's  dream  and 
Israel's  ever-flowing  song.     Hear  Ibn  Gabirol : — 

"  Thou  art  the  One,  all  numbers'  origin, 
Creation's  only  rock ;  aye,  One  art  Thou, 
Whose  Oneness  human  wisdom  cannot  sound, 
Unable  Unity  like  Thine  to  grasp  ; 
Thou  Only  One,  who  neither  grows  nor  shrinks ; 
Uncounted  Thou,  unnumbered,  One,  unchanged, 
Unchangeable,  nameless,  formless  ;  One,  whose  bounds 
To  fathom  overstrains  the  finite  mind." 

The  prophet's  ideal  dream  is  the  most  glorious  spiritual 
dream  Israel  ever  dreamed.  Had  that  dream  continued  with 
all  its  supernal  adumbrations  and  earthly  manifestations,  no 
creed  could  have  ever  raised  its  head  above  prophetic  Judaism, 
presenting  the  loftiest  ethical  and  religious  panacea  that  the 
world  needs  to  be  cured  of  all  moral  and  mortal  ills.  Put  rab- 
binism  did  not  prove  a  sufficient  spiritual  continuation  of  the 
life-fountain  of  empyrean  Prophecy.  Had  the  Talmud  con- 
tinued a  living  tradition,  had  its  representatives  and  expound- 
ers revealed  prophetic  intimations  of  a  never-ebbing  spiritual- 
ity flowing  from  a  never-ebbing  universe,  its  influence  over  the 
destiny  of  Israel  and  humanity  at  large  might  have  turned 
out  incalculably  vast.  As  a  compiled  mass  of  variegated  lore, 
crystallized  law,  tradition,  humor,  fable,  wit,  and  allegory,  with 
a  rigid  codex  as  the  petrified  resultant,  it  is  an  amazing  monu- 
ment   of   Jewish   industry,  genius,  imagination,  history,  and 

."m  D'rra  n-nn  Sxpnr^  nap  idx  .prrS-n  by  nnj?  Sxprrr  n-nnty  bt»d  10 


07 

stern  religious  loyalty  and  formalism,  but  never,  no,  never  a 
living  stream  of  spiritually  potential  possibilities.  The  Tal- 
mud helped  to  perpetuate  Judaism  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
Chinese  wall  helped  to  perpetuate  Mongolian  stagnation  and 
Confucian  ethics.  It  did  embalm  and  localize  Judaism  and 
favor  an  exaggerated  separatism,  both  of  which  are  not  com- 
patible with  Israel's  world-redeeming  mission.  The  prophet 
was  infinitely  more  cosmopolitan  and  humanitarian  than  the 
Talmudist.  The  opportunities  Talmudical  lore  offered  the  Jew- 
ish mind  for  pilpulistic  or  logical  exercise  during  a  period  of 
universal  darkness  were  inestimable,  and  the  chare/  or  Tal- 
mudical reasoner  was  justly  considered  a  marvel  of  hair-split- 
ting finesse,  but  the  sublimest  idea  of  prophetic  Judaism  was  al- 
most lost  sight  of,  a  severe,  of  ten  unmeaning,  ceremonialism  tak- 
ing its  place.  In  this  way  did  the  beneficent  warm  gulf -stream 
of  transcendental  Prophecy  first  congeal  into  the  mighty  glacier 
of  Talmudism.  Then,  breaking  up  into  prodigious  icebergs, 
and  drifting  along  on  the  sea  of  centuries,  it  eventually  took 
the  shape  of  austere  'aruchs,  voluminous  tomes,  replete  with 
dry  regulations,  long-winded  discussions  of  trivialities,  in  all, 
dead  weights  pressing  heavily  on  the  intellectual  elasticity  of 
the  most  arduous  and  active  of  races.  So  did  it  come  to  pass 
that,  as  somebody  pointedly  remarked,  while  Catholicism  had 
its  arbitrary  living  pope,  un prophetic  Judaism  bent  its  knee 
before  a  dead  hierarch  in  the  shape  of  an  infallible,  intolerant, 
unyielding,  uncompromising  series  of  codices. 

Fortunately  the  genial  currents  of  a  resuscitating  civilization 
had  the  salutary  effect  of  convincing  the  enlightened  son  of 
Israel  that,  in  abandoning  the  prophetic  ideal,  he  came  very 
nigh  being  overwhelmed  by  stronger  intellectual  and  spiritual 
powers  that  derived  their  vitality  from  that  very  source  he  so 
disloyally  neglected — Prophec}r.  When  we  turn  to  glance  at  the 
Talmud  it  will  be  time  for  us  to  do  justice  to  that  world  of 
picturesque  beauty  and  glory.  Yet  do  we  hail  that  auspicious 
moment  in  modern  Jewish  history  when  the  prophet's  dream 
of  the  ages  began  once  more  to  soften  the  frozen  forms  of 
hitherto  irreconcilable  rabbinism,  which  must  either  yield  to 
Divine    inspiration,  and   adjust  itself  to  the  living  spirit  of 


68 

Judaism,  or  become  a  relic  of  an  unprogressive,  uninspired 
past. 

Judaism  cannot  subsist,  still  less  flourish,  without  prophetic 
inspiration.  Israel's  God  is  not  One  of  the  past,  but  One  of 
all  times,  and  as  He  did  inspire  the  "  upright  heart  and  true," 
so  will  He  still  give  spirit  of  His  Spirit  to  such  as  speak  in 
His  Name.  Judaism  cannot  feed  on  dead  forms,  no,  not  even 
on  glories  that  are  bygone.  Our  past  had  its  prophets,  we 
must  have  them,  too,  men  with  a  supernal  dream,  a  lofty  ideal, 
enkindled  by  the  fire  of  heaven,  self-sacrificing,  fearless  in 
stemming  the  tide  of  corruption  ;  holding  up  a  mirror  to  vice ; 
branding  infamy,  sensuality,  infidelity ;  sweeping  off,  like 
Elijah,  the  prophets  of  Baal,  the  venal  slaves  with  whom 
Israel  ever  was  and  is  afflicted ;  men  who  have  an  inspiration 
to  reveal,  a  truth  to  tell,  and  who  have  the  manhood  to  unfold 
it  unadorned,  unvarnished,  sincere ;  men  deep  in  knowledge 
and  nature,  resistless  in  eloquence,  indefatigable  in  effort, 
recoiling  from  no  danger,  no  threat,  no  difficulty ;  ready,  like 
Daniel,  to  face  the  lion  in  his  den,  like  Nathan,  to  front  the 
guilty  monarch  in  his  royal  robe,  the  fulniination  of  God's 
lightning  on  their  lip  ;  uttering  the  soul's  resistless  fire  in 
seething  streams,  till  vice  is  blasted  and  virtue  shines  as  bur- 
nished gold,  in  His  Name  Who  everlastingly  dwells  in  the 
pure  and  loyal  heart.  In  this  way  alone  will  the  prophet's 
dream  and  ideal  of  humanity  blended  with  Divinity  be 
triumphantly  realized. 


CHAPTER   V. 

OUR  POET'S   DREAM. 

It  seems  utterly  impossible  to  say  where  Jewish  poetry 
begins  and  prophecy  ends,  or  vice  versa,  particularly  when  the 
contents  of  our  Scriptures  are  to  be  first  the  subject  of  a  brief 
examination.  If  beauty  of  style,  splendor  of  picture,  fable, 
parable,  simile,  and  allegory ;  if  depth  of  sentiment,  transport 
of  soul,  Divine  fervor,  the  fire  of  thrilling  inspiration,  in  a 
word,  if  God-intoxication  causes  the  strings  of  the  poet's 
deepest  being  to  vibrate  in  gleeful,  sacred  utterance,  then  is 
our  prophet  poet  by  the  grace  of  the  Most  High,  he  being  the 
almost  unconscious  harmonious  instrument  through  whom 
Divinity  communes  with  humanity.  It  is  neither  an  exaggera- 
tion nor  is  it  an  unjustified  assertion,  nor  an  original  idea, 
that  the  Old  Testament  is  one  grand,  incomparable,  unbounded 
epos,  the  epic  }mr  excellence  in  which  the  past,  present,  and 
future  of  humanity  are  poetically,  prophetically,  and  Provi- 
dentially mirrored,  the  universe  supplying  the  illustrations. 
Let  the  critics  criticise.  Let  science  progress ;  it  cannot  but 
illumine  the  religious  ideal  as  it  is  transcendentally  set  forth  in 
the  prophecy  and  poetry  of  our  Bible.  Those  twenty-four 
books  which  make  up  our  Scriptures  are  the  perfect  Iliads  of 
the  Hebrew  race,  the  clearest  manifestation  of  our  Deity  in 
the  spirit  and  consciousness  of  man ;  they  are  the  corner-stone 
of  the  Synagogue,  the  foundation  of  the  liberal  Church  and 
Mosque ;  they  sprung  from  the  heart  of  Israel  and  are  insep- 
arably interwoven  with  the  history  and  destiny  of  mankind. 

With  breath  of  Are,  in  speech  of  living  flame 
The  wizard  prophet  in  Jehovah's  Name 
Links  earth  to  heaven  with  a  golden  chain, 
And  who  would  say,  that  he  foretold  in  vain? 
Since  he,  who  preaching  wandered  forth  from  Ur, 
He  of  God's  phalanx  first  great  warrior, 
(69) 


70 

To  him  who  Zion's  fall  did  weep  in  strains, 

He  bard  and  prophet  in  Chaldea's  plains, 

Great  spirits  rose  to  make  man  onward  march 

Of  mystic  visions  building  arch  on  arch, 

Till,  like  the  bow  that  mirrors  forth  the  sun, 

The  sky-built  pyramid  they  stood  upon, 

While  at  its  base  unthinking  mortals  plod, 

Upleads  the  wiser  to  the  feet  of  God. 

Wipe  out  from  memory  all  Delphian  lies, 

Dodona's  tricks,  Elensis'  mysteries ; 

Forever  silence  Heliconian  glee, 

Let  thought  be  mute,  be  mute  philosophy, 

The  world  shall  move,  our  prophets  being  there, 

Who,  Atlas-like,  of  heaven  the  pillars  bear, 

See  God  in  man,  all  man  in  God  declare ; 

In  sacred  visions,  speech  of  molten  gold, 

A  heavenly  kingdom,  peace  on  earth  foretold. 

This  is  not  intended  to  pass  as  a  piece  of  poetry ;  we  feel  it 
in  our  heart  of  hearts.  We  can  imagine  an  ancient  Greece 
without  a  Homer;  a  world-ruling  Rome  without  a  golden 
period  of  classical  literature;  Britain  might  prosper  without 
her  Miltons,  Germany  without  her  Goethes,  and  Italy  without 
her  Dantes ;  but  how  conceive  of  positive  Monotheism  with- 
out an  Old  Testament  ?  How  imagine  a  Judaism,  Christianity, 
and  Mohammedism,  a  world  of  law  and  order,  without  our 
Bible  ?  What  articulate  nonsense  to  say  that  Buddhism,  Con- 
fucianism, or  any  other  heathenism,  could  in  any  tolerable 
maimer  serve  as  a  substitute  for  that  matchless  Book  which, 
like  the  silent  ocean  mirroring  infinity  with  all  that  is  visible 
in  it,  reflects  the  faith  and  doubt,  the  hopes  and  fears,  the  joys 
and  'sorrows,  the  longings  and  dreamings,  the  strength  and 
weakness,  the  truth  and  error,  the  beastly  and  the  Divine,  that 
is  propelling,  stirring,  and  agitating  human  life.  And  seeing 
the  steady  and  conscious  progress  of  the  race  from  the  useless 
to  the  useful,  the  unjust  to  the  just,  the  ugly  to  the  beautiful, 
the  false  to  the  true,  the  material  to  the  ideal ;  observing  that 
the  beauty  and  power  of  manhood  are  always  found  in  pro- 
portion to  the  moral  quality  of  the  individual  and  the  race, 
one  cannot  fail  to  realize  the  eternal  rule  of  mind  over  matter, 
light  over  darkness,  good  over  evil,  the  ideal  over  the  physical 
world ;  God  over  space,  time,  law,  and  all !     We  cannot,  even 


71 

by  admitting  the  theory  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  see 
mere  accident  in  the  historical  wonder  of  Israel's  preservation 
amid  the  general  wreckage  of  kingdoms  and  empires.  The  epic 
grandeur  of  our  Scriptures  reveals  what  evolution  and  all  the 
sciences  never  can  approximately  reach ;  they  that  would  turn 
the  universe  into  an  unaccountable,  unconscious  machine,  self- 
made,  with  time,  space,  matter,  and  motion  as  blind  motors. 

As  a  picture  gallery  of  living  figures  unadorned  and  true 
as  nature  herself,  our  Scriptural  epos  challenges  comparison. 
Is  it  Virtue,  you  see  her  therein  beautifully  glorified ;  is  it 
Vice,  therein  you  see  her,  too,  paraded  in  dismal  nudity. 
Truth  is  the  object  of  the  whole.  God  alone  is  Great,  Per- 
fect, All-Wise ;  but  man,  whether  he  be  the  greatest  law- 
giver, the  sweetest  singer,  the  greatest  and  wisest  king,  or  the 
sublimest  of  prophets,  is  fallible  and  frail.  Moses  errs ;  his 
Books  put  on  record  his  error  and  his  punishment.  David 
sins;  posterity  is  informed  about  it.  Solomon  falls  from 
grace ;  we  are  made  to  admire  his  wisdom  and  deplore  his 
fall.  Elijah's  severity  towards  the  prophets  of  Baal  is  not  ap- 
proved of  by  later  generations,  and  his  sudden  translation  is 
imputed  to  that  act  of  cruelty.  From  beginning  to  end  our 
Biblical  heroes  and  heroines  are  introduced  to  us  as  instru- 
ments of  the  highest  Will,  men  and  women  liable  to  err,  not 
at  all  resembling  those  infallible  saints  of  the  New  Testament, 
who  are  nothing  if  not  supernatural.  Inspired  genius  is  the 
striking  quality  of  Jewish  heroism.  You  meet  in  our  Bible 
as  nowhere  else,  law-giver,  warrior,  judge,  prophet,  statesman, 
sage,  and  poet,  all  in  one  and  the  same  person,  as  exemplified 
in  the  careers  of  Moses,  Deborah,  Samuel,  David,  Solomon, 
and  Isaiah.  In  a  trice,  the  prophet  is  poet,  the  poet  is 
prophet,  the  farmer  is  judge,  the  shepherd  is  king,  warrior, 
statesman,  and  bard.  Give  us  another  Deborah  who  is  judge, 
general,  and  poetess  in  a  continent  where  woman  is  at  this 
date  considered  little  more  than  the  domestic  animal.  Poetry 
appears  to  be  singularly  congenial  to  the  Semitic,  intensely  so 
to  the  Hebrew's  nature.  On  a  sudden  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
is  on  him  who  either  sings  or  prophesies.  Nobody  dreams 
that  Samuel's  devout,  modest  mother,  whose  pious  tears  flow 


YZ 


in  streams  while  praying  in  Eli's  Sanctuary,  is  more  than  an 
ordinary  brave  woman,  when  lo,  and  behold!  Hannah  sings 
the  loftiest  of  themes,  God's  justice,  love,  and  grace.     "  The 
bow  of  the  mighty  is  broken,  and  those  who  stumbled  are 
girded  with  strength.     The  Lord's  are  the  pillars  of  the  earth 
on  which  He  hath  set  the  world.    Out  of  the  heaven  He  thun- 
ders on  His  adversaries.     The  wicked  shall  be  made  silent  in 
darkness."     This  is  the  first  and  the  last  time  we  hear  of  Han- 
nah.    So  is  Deborah's  poetical  genius,  as  her  entire  appear- 
ance, a  delightful  surprise  unexpected  in  womanhood  at  such  a 
date  in  such  a  place.     When  The  Lord  goeth  forth  from  Seir, 
the  earth  trembles,  the  heavens  drop,  the  clouds  melt,  yea, 
"the  mountains  melt  away  because  of  the  Presence  of  The 
Lord. " — "  From  heaven  they  fought,  the  stars  in  their  orbits 
fought  against  Sisera."     What  shall  we  say  of  this  daughter 
in  Israel  who  excels  as  judge,  triumphs  as  general,  and  im- 
mortalizes the  event  in  lines  of  unexcelled  beauty  \     Sappho, 
the  poetess,  who  was  regarded  as  the  tenth  Muse,  the  "  mira- 
cle" of  antiquity,  has,  like  all  heathen  "  miracles,"  not  turned 
out  a  miracle  of  virtuous  womanhood,  and  her  poetry,  though 
reputed  as  exquisitely  delicious,  could  scarcely  bear  comparison 
with  the  song  of   souls  inspired  by  the  God  Whose  Breath 
causes  the  mountains  to  melt.    We  are  informed  that  Sappho's 
favorite  themes  were  the  gods,  the  passions,  nature's  sweet 
products,  so  that  if  she  sang  beautifully  she  could  not  have 
risen  very  high.     What  imparts  unsurpassed  excellence  to  He- 
brew prophecy  and  poetry  is  the  overpowering  grandeur  of  the 
theme  they  both  contemplate.     Creation  and  its  wonders,  man 
and  his  destiny,  God  and  the  universe,  death  and  eternity,  are 
the  ever-present  subjects  of  the  Hebrew  bard.     Therefore  is 
there  but  one  Isaiah,  one  Job,  and  one  Psalmist.     Read  Car- 
lyle's  view  of  Job  so  grudgingly  given  by  the  pungent  Aryan 
on  the  great  deep,  unequaled   Hebrew  :    "  I  call  that,  apart 
from  all  theories  about  it,  one  of  the  grandest  things  ever 
written  with  pen.     One  feels,  indeed,  as  if  it  were  not  He- 
brew, such  a  noble  universality,  different  from  noble  patriot- 
ism or  sectarianism,  reigns  in  it.     A  noble  book !     All  men's 
book!     It  is  our  first;  oldest  statement  of  the  never-ending 


73 

problem — man's  destiny  and  God's  ways  with  him  here  on 
this  earth ;  and  all  in  such  free-flowing  outlines ;  grand  in  its 
sincerity,  in  its  simplicity ;  in  its  epic  melody,  and  the  repose 
of  reconcilement.  There  is  the  seeing  eye,  the  mildly  under- 
standing heart;  so  true  every  way;  true  eyesight  and  vision 
and  all  things ;  material  things  not  less  than  spiritual ;  the 
horse,  hast  thou  clothed  life  neck  with  thunder  ?  He  laughs  at 
the  shaking  of  the  spear !  Such  living  likenesses  were  never 
since  drawn.  Sublime  sorrow,  sublime  reconciliation ;  oldest 
choral  melody  as  of  the  heart  of  mankind ;  so  soft  and  great ; 
as  the  summer  midnight ;  as  the  world  with  its  seas  and  stars. 
There  is  nothing  written,  I  think,  in  the  Bible  or  out  of  it,  of 
equal  literary  merit." 

We  ask  :  Is  it  a  misfortune  to  be  misunderstood  ?  Seems 
it  not  the  lot  of  uncommon  men,  things,  and  principles  to  be 
misunderstood  ?  The  ancient  heathen,  wholly  incapable  of 
conceiving  One  Universal  Divinity,  and  a  religion  transcen- 
dentally  spiritual,  wondered  at  the  Hebrew  race,  their  abnor- 
mal way  of  worship,  and  their  still  less  comprehensible  God, 
a  God  that  defied  every  anthropomorphic  personification.  So 
does  Tacitus  scoffingly  allude  to  the  Jewish  Temple  of  Zion, 
wherein  there  was  not  an  image  or  statue  to  be  seen  ;  and  Ju- 
venal fails  to  realize  how  intellectual  beings  could  adore 
"nothing  but  clouds  and  Deity  in  the  skies."  And  have  Juda- 
ism and  the  Jews  been  since  understood  ?  Are  they  under- 
stood now  ?  We  invoke  the  genius  of  history  to  do  us  justice. 
The  Jew  has  long  felt  like  those  ill-fated  Spaniards  whom  the 
bloody  Aztec  priests  sacrificed  to  their  horrid  gods.  A  million 
howling  voices,  a  myriad  of  braying  drums  and  yelling  trum- 
pets drowned  the  feeble  protest  of  the  victimized  Jew.  Gel- 
lert's  fable  tells  how  the  straight-walking  and  plain-talking 
man  happened  to  land  in  a  strange  country  where  all  were 
lame  of  foot  and  stuttering  in  speech,  and  the  halting  and 
stammering  population  gazed  with  astonishment  on  the  stran- 
ger of  straight  limbs,  crying  :  "  Behold,  that  poor  man  is  not 
at  all  lame  !  "  But  no  sooner  did  he  open  his  lips,  than  a  cry 
of  pity  shook  the  atmosphere  :  "  All,  neither  does  he  stam- 
mer !  "     This  is  not  at  all  a  fable.     Shakespeares  or  Carlyles, 


74 

Gibbons  or  Wagners,  like  many  others  of  greater  or  smaller 
genius,  are  but  children  of  their  surroundings  and  habits, 
seldom  rising  very  high  above  current  prejudices.  If  that 
great  Bard  of  Avon  had  known  Jews  and  Judaism  as  Lessing 
and  George  Eliot,  would  he  have  left  us  the  caricature  of  a 
Shylock  ?  If  Dickens  had  possessed  as  much  knowledge  of 
Israel's  ethical  and  spiritual  life  as  he  had  of  the  taste  and 
fancy  of  the  mob,  he  would  not  personify  his  ignorance  of  a 
great  people's  character  by  the  production  of  an  odious  Fagin. 
Only  think  of  an  unchristian  genius  who  would  look  for  ma- 
terial in  the  annals  and  daily  happenings  of  Christian  coun- 
tries. What  a  harvest  of  refined  felons  he  would  find ;  sharp- 
ers, gamblers,  pickpockets,  swindlers,  a  variety  of  criminals, 
highwaymen,  assassins,  murderers  of  wives,  parents,  children  ; 
fiendish  train-wreckers ;  a  hundred  penitentiaries,  full  of  the 
lowest  specimens  of  humanity,  are  there,  ready  to  supply  his 
muse  with  all  sorts  of  despicable  subjects.  Imagine  a  good 
Christian  hear  his  faith  associated  with  all  of  those  criminals, 
and  you  will  realize  the  outrage  you  commit  on  the  Jew  as 
often  as  his  sacred  name  and  fame  are  slighted  by  a  caricature 
of  some  sordid  individual  of  whom  his  own  race  is  ashamed. 
No,  if  Carlyle  ever  caught  a  glitnpse  of  the  Jew's  dreams, 
ideals,  and  realities,  he  would  not  have  dipped  his  pen  in  venom 
as  often  as  the  name  Jew  came  in  his  way.  Who  could  write 
"Job"  but  a  Hebrew?  The  grandest  thing  must  needs  be 
written  by  such  as  have  the  grandest  faith,  conceptions,  the 
deepest  dreams,  the  grandest  ideals,  and  the  grandest  God. 
How  could  any  pagan  upsoar  in  thought,  vision,  and  song  as 
high,  penetrate  mystery  as  deep  as  the  Hebrew  with  his  great 
yearning  soul,  his  earnest  manhood,  his  daring  genius  to  fathom 
The  Infinite  in  infinity  2  The  loftiest  form  of  poetical  expres- 
sion— the  lyric,  religious,  or  hymnal  song — attained  its  sub- 
limest  height  in  the  heart  of  Israel.  There  they  are,  a  hundred 
and  fifty  wonder  odes,  possibly  the  work  of  few,  probably  the 
songs  of  many  Jewish  hearts  and  minds.  What  a  dream  ! 
what  a  reality !  of  all  the  deep  the  deepest,  of  all  the  sweet 
the  sweetest ;  summing  up  all — all,  birth,  death,  life,  pain,  sor- 
row, faith,  hope,  trust,  joy,  delight,  ecstasy,  gloom,  human 


greatness,  human  smallness,  mortality  and  immortality,  the 
glories  of  earth  and  the  wonders  of  heaven — all,  God  and 
eternity.  Such  are  the  Psalms  Milton  dared  to  translate,  not 
to  imitate.  Who  could,  but  a  Hebrew,  but  a  Hebrew  heart 
touched  by  the  sacred  fire  of  the  highest  empyrean,  strike  such 
heavenly  notes  ?  Read  them  ;  aye,  and  in  Hebrew,  if  possible ; 
for  translated,  though  glorious,  they  are  but  the  reflected 
splendor  of  the  sunny  beam  received  from  the  cool  moon. 
The  Psalms  are  a  sea  of  hymnal  glories,  the  lyric  of  lyrics, 
matchless,  ethereally  inspired,  such  as  angels  may  sing  in  the 
Presence  of  Him  enthroned  on  the  Merchabah.  Here  are  a  few 
verses  by  Milton,  and  a  free  translation  of  a  Psalm  by  Byron  : — 

"  Among  the  holy  mountains  high 
Is  His  foundation  fast, 
There  seated  is  His  sanctuary, 
His  temple  there  is  placed. 
Zion's  fair  gates  the  Lord  loves  more 
Than  all  the  dwellings  fair, 
Of  Jacob's  land  though  there  be  store 
And  all  within  his  care, 
City  of  God  most  glorious  things 
Of  thee  abroad  are  spoke ; 
I  mention  Egypt,  where  proud  kings 
Did  our  forefathers  yoke ; 
I  mention  Babel  to  my  friends, 
Philistia  full  of  scorn, 
And  Tyre  with  Ethiop's  utmost  ends, 
Lo,  this  man  there  was  born. — 
Both  they  who  sing  and  they  who  dance 
With  sacred  songs  are  there, 
In  the  fresh  brooks,  and  soft  streams  glance, 
And  all  my  fountains  clear. — 
My  soul  doth  long  and  almost  die 
Thy  courts,  O  Lord,  to  see, 
My  heart  and  flesh  aloud  do  cry, 
0  living  God  for  Thee. — 
Happy,  who  in  Thy  house  reside, 
Where  Thee  they  ever  praise, 
Happy  whose  strength  in  Thee  doth  bide, 
And  in  their  heart  Thy  ways. — 
They  pass  through  Baca's  thirsty  vale, 
That  dry  and  barren  ground, 
As  through  a  fruitful  watery  dale 
Where  springs  and  showers  abound. — 


76 

Be  not  Thou  silent  now  at  length 

O  God,  hold  not  Thy  peace, 

Sit  Thou  not  still,  O  God  of  strength, 

"We  cry  and  do  not  cease  ; 

For  lo,  Thy  furious  foes  now  swell 

And  storm  outrageously. 

And  they  that  hate  Thee,  proud  and  fell 

Exalt  their  heads  full  high. 

Against  Thy  people  they  contrive 

Their  plots  and  counsels  deep, 

Them  to  ensnare  they  chiefly  strive 

Whom  Thou  dost  hide  and  keep. — 

How  long  will  ye  pervert  the  right 

With  judgment  false  and  strong, 

Favoring  the  wicked  by  your  might 

Who  thence  grow  bold  and  strong  ? 

Regard  the  weak  and  fatherless, 

Despatch   the  poor  man's  cause, 

And  raise  the  man  in  deep  distress 

By  just  and  equal  laws ; 

Defend  the  poor  and  desolate 

And  rescue  from  the  hands 

Of  wicked  men  the  low  estate 

Of  him  that  help  demands. — 

When  I  behold  Thy  heavens,  Thy  fingers'  art 

The  moon,  the  stars,  which  Thou  so  bright  hast  set 

In  the  pure  firmament,  then  saith  my  heart, 

Oh,  what  is  man  that  Thou  remembei'est  yet. — " 


"  We  sat  down  and  wept  by  the  waters 
Of  Babel,  and  thought  of  the  day 

When  our  foe,  in  the  hue  of  his  slaughters! 
Made  Salem's  high  places  his  prey, 

And  ye,  O  her  desolate  daughters! 
Were  scattered  all  weeping  awa}\ 

"  While  sadly  we  gazed  on  the  river 
Which  l-olled  on  in  freedom  below, 

They  demanded  the  song,  oh,  never 
That  triumph  the  stranger  shall  know ! 

May  this  right  hand  be  withered  forever, 
Ere  it  string  our  high  harp  for  the  foe. 

"  On  the  willow  that  harp  is  suspended, 
O  Salem !  its  sound  should  be  free, 

And  the  hour  when  thy  glories  were  ended 
But  left  me  that  token  of  thee : 

And  never,  shall  its  soft  tones  be  blended 
With  the  voice  of  a  spoiler  by  me." 


77 

Vain  effort.  Luther  despaired  of  making  "the  Hebrew 
speak  German."  And  who  succeeded  ?  It  is  a  tongue  they 
who  derived  inspiration  from  Helicon  could  not  fathom,  could 
not  translate.  In  every  other  tongue  words  have  meaning,  ex- 
press metaphor  or  figure ;  in  Hebrew  poetry  every  word  is 
itself  a  mystic  allegoiy,  hiding  more  than  it  tells,  and  telling 
more  than  it  seems.  Translate  if  you  can  nnnKn  'rnnxj?  Sd 
■jidd  'o  h  "  All  my  bones  exclaim :  Lord,  who  is  like  Thee  !  " 
It  conveys  not  in  English  what  it  tells  in  Hebrew,  naoi* 
ti  hvh  dti^x1?  'tysj  "  My  soul  thirsts  for  God,  for  the  Living 
God."  This  gives  no  idea  of  the  ecstasy  that  Hebrew  phrase 
expresses  to  the  God-intoxicated  Jew.  -mm  mo  ^n  YDtya 
iBO  SjKfl  "  My  arrows  shall  be  drunken  with  blood,  and  my 
sword  shall  devour  flesh."  Where  was  warlike  manhood  ex- 
pressed in  so  few  words  ?  win  S;*  nonn  Ssjd  riVS  nurmn  DDywn 
"  In  intense  thoughts  out  of  the  visions  of  night  when  deep 
sleep  falleth  on  man."  -man  vnixtp  mi  mjni  -j*op  ina  "  Dread 
came  over  me,  with  trembling,  and  it  caused  all  my  bones  to 
shudder."  Ah,  speak  not  of  translation  ;  the  mystery  of  these 
two  lines  no  speech  can  render ;  it  is  the  spiritual  dream  of 
man — poor,  hungry,  longing  soul — who,  waking  or  dreaming, 
shudders  at  the  silence  of  space  and  time.  And  the  two  words 
ynsop  D'poyoo  "  From  the  gulfs  of  my  being  I  invoked  Thee, 
Lord ; "  or  this  description  of  God's  garment,  rwih  mm  "tin 
"  With  glory  and  majesty  art  Thou  clothed,  art  wrapped  in  light 
as  with  a  garment."  Unacquainted  with  the  Hebrew's  idiom 
it  is  impossible  to  comprehend  his  prophetic  and  poetic  genius. 

In  our  earliest  childhood  we  were  shown  two  Hebrew  letters 
in  the  form  of  two  constellations  in  the  starry  firmament,  the 
,  Yad  and  the  r\  Tav,  the  first  being  the  first  letter  of  the 
Ineffable  Name,  the  other  being  the  first  letter  of  the  Hebrew 
word  Law,  Tor  ah.  You  may  see  those  letters  distinctly  on 
any  clear  eve,  and,  remembering  mankind's  indebtedness  to 
what  has  been  revealed,  taught,  and  sung  in  Hebrew,  one  feels 
profound  reverence  for  an  oppressed  race  whose  soul  feeds  on 
the  Divinest  of  dreams,  and  reads  its  sacred  alphabet  in  the 
stars.  The  coincidence  is  certainly  noteworthy.  In  our  Mid- 
rashic  literature  we  find   it   explicitly  stated   that  the  letters 


78 

of  the  Hebrew  alphabet  are  conscious,  spiritual  beings,  who 
claimed  certain  rank  and  distinction  in  the  mysterious  drama 
of  creation.  The  Aleph  having  shown  the  most  modesty,  se- 
cured the  especial  prominence  of  being  the  first  letter  in  the 
Decalogue.  When  on  descending  from  Sinai,  Moses,  seeing 
the  golden  calf,  dropped  the  tablets  on  which  God's  finger  en- 
graved The  Ten  Commandments,  only  the  form  was  broken, 
say  our  sages,  the  letters  flying  about  in  the  air,11  indicating 
therewith,  that  though  violence  may  be  done  to  the  visible 
form  of  the  Divine  Law,  as  an  ethereal  power  it  is  eternal,  in- 
vulnerable, neither  tyranny  nor  fire  having  any  power  over 
it.12  With  a  language  so  sacred  and  heavenly,  the  Hebrew  could 
not  but  meditate  on  the  sublimest  and  holiest  of  things.  He. 
who  knows  Hebrew  well  will  glory  in  it  above  any  other  tongue. 
The  104th  Psalm  is  justly  considered  a  perfect  picture  of 
God's  making  and  ruling  the  world.  The  singer  blesses  The 
Lord,  immeasurably  great,  clothed  in  glory  and  majesty, 
wrapped  in  light  as  in  a  garment ;  who  stretches  the  heavens 
like  a  curtain  ;  who  founded  the  skies  on  beams  of  water ; 
clouds  are  his  chariot ;  "  who  walketh  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind,"  making  winds  His  messengers,  fire  His  ministers. 
"  The  earth  He  founded  on  her  bases  immovable  to  eternity." 
Then  these  lines  :  "  He  makes  darkness  His  hiding  place,  round 
Him  a  pavilion  of  dark  waters,  thick  clouds  of  the  skies."  But 
all  darkness,  "  hail,  stones,  and  coals  of  fire  "  pass  away  before 
His  radiance.  He  thunders  in  heaven,  His  speech  is  hail  and 
fire.  "  The  heavens  proclaim  the  glory  of  God."  Within, 
without,  above,  below,  around,  everywhere  the  Hebrew  bard 
feels  and  sees  the  Lord,  ever  filled  with  painful  longing  to 
penetrate  the  veil  of  mystery.  Small  are  the  agonies  of 
Prometheus,  feeble  the  light  he  had  stolen  of  the  gods,  when 
compared  with  the  more  than  human  struggle,  heroic  resigna- 
tion, Divine  sorrow  of  the  martyred  Job.  He  sees  that  he 
cannot  see,  he  knows  that  he  does  not  know.  That  limited 
human  wisdom  that  shrinks  amazed  at  the  Supreme  Unap- 
proachable Intelligence  who  uttered  it,  who  felt  it  so  deeply 

.nirma  rnrmjo  pint?:  pVu18     .mmiD  nvmw  i-omj  mniV1 


79 

before,  who,  after  Job  ?  One  paragraph  tells :  Man  knows 
where  to  find  silver,  knows  the  place  of  gold ;  iron  is  taken 
out  of  dust,  stone  is  melted  into  copper ;  he  sets  an  end  to 
darkness,  brings  precious  stones  from  the  shadow  of  death.  In 
the  earth  there  is  lire,  lead  springs  from  her  bosom,  also  the  sap- 
phire and  golden  dust  is  there,  in  places  the  vulture's  eye  has 
not  surveyed,  the  ravenous  beast  has  never  trodden.  "  But  wis- 
dom, where  shall  she  be  found,  and  where  the  place  of  under- 
standing ?  Man  knows  not  her  value,  and  she  is  not  found  in 
the  land  of  the  living.  The  deep  saith,  '  Not  in  me  is  she,' 
and  the  sea  saith,  '  She  is  not  with  me.'  Yea,  she  is  hidden 
from  the  eyes  of  the  living,  from  the  fowl  of  heaven  she  is 
concealed.  Perdition  and  death  say,  '  We  heard  a  report  of 
her.'  God  alone  understandeth  her  way,  and  He  knoweth  her 
place."  If  Socrates  was  the  wisest  Greek  because  he  knew  the 
limits  of  human  reason,  was  not  Job  the  wisest  of  men,  the 
noblest  martyr,  the  typical,  daring,  searching,  doubting,  yet 
ever  loyal  son  of  Israel  ?  But  we  are  fishing  for  pearls  in  the 
ocean  to  procure  but  a  slight  specimen  of  its  uncounted,  un- 
valued treasures.  Our  Bible  is  one  continuous,  varied  poem 
presenting  every  kind  and  shade  of  poetry.  Beside  the  lyric, 
there  is  the  epic,  the  dramatic,  the  didactic,  idyllic,  the  elegiac, 
and  every  other  species  that  graces  any  literature.  "  The 
language  of  poetry  is  thus  the  language  of  the  inspired  vol- 
ume." Says  Gilfillan,  "  The  Bible  is  a  mass  of  beautiful 
figures ;  its  words  and  its  thoughts  are  alike  poetical ;  it  has 
gathered  around  its  central  truth  all  natural  beauty  and  inter- 
est ;  it  is  a  Temple  with  one  altar  and  One  God,  but  illumi- 
nated by  a  thousand  varied  lights,  and  studded  with  a  thousand 
ornaments.  It  has  substantially  but  one  declaration  to  make, 
but  it  utters  that  in  the  voices  of  the  creation.  It  has  pressed 
into  its  service  the  animals  of  the  forest,  the  flowers  of  the 
field,  the  stars  of  heaven,  all  the  elements  of  nature.  The  lion 
spurning  the  sands  of  the  desert,  the  wild  roe  leaping  over  the 
mountains,  the  lamb  led  in  silence  to  slaughter,  the  goat  speed- 
ing to  the  wilderness ;  the  rose  blossoming  in  Sharon,  the  lily 
drooping  in  the  valley,  the  apple-tree  bowing  under  its  fruit ; 
the  great  rock  shadowing  a  weary  land,  the  river  gladdening 


80 

the  dry  place;  the  moon  and  the  morning  star  ;  Carmel  by  the 
sea  and  Tabor  among  the  mountains ;  the  dew  from  the  womb 
of  the  morning,  the  rain  upon  the  mown  grass,  the  rainbow 
encompassing  the  landscape;  the  light,  God's  shadow;  the 
thunder,  His  voice ;  the  winds  and  the  earthquake,  His  foot- 
steps :  all  such  varied  objects  are  made— as  if  naturally  so  de- 
signed from  their  creation— to  represent  Him  to  Whom  the 
Book  and  all  its  emblems  point.  Thus,  the  quick  spirit  of  the 
Book  has  ransacked  creation— to  lay  its  treasures  on  Jehovah's 
altar."  A  beautiful  but  incomplete  picture  this  ;  for  it  is 
mainly  to  the  emblems  of  life  and  being,  death  and  eternity, 
the  relation  of  the  finite  to  the  Infinite,  comprising  the  visible 
and  the  invisible  universe,  that  the  poetry  of  the  Bible  is  de- 
voted, accentuating  the  deepest  and  the  highest  in  speech  and 
imagery  that  the  human  soul  intuitively  accepts  as  the  truest, 
the  Divinest. 

But  the  Hebrew's  poetical  genius  ceased  not  with  the  closing 
of  the  last  line  of  that  sacred  volume.  During  the  Dark  Ages 
and  in  modern  times  the  Jew,  though  unwelcomed  in  the  several 
provinces  of  the  line  arts,  had  nevertheless  floods  of  melody  to 
inform  a  flinty  world  that  he  was  living,  believing,  suffering, 
sorrowing,  hoping,  and  dreaming— melody  in  words  and  in 
notes.  For  eighteen  hundred  years  the  Jew  has  been  the  real 
Job  of  history,  sorrow  crowding  on  sorrow,  affliction  on 
affliction,  outrage  on  outrage,  until  life  became  bitter,  unbear- 
able, and  the  grave  the  only  hope,  the  haven  of  peace  "  where 
the  wicked  cease  from  troubling  and  the  weary  are  at  rest." 
Human  hatred,  bloody  persecution,  black  accusation,  poverty, 
disgrace,  humiliation,  slaughter,  enforced  nomadism,  all  he 
takes  from  Christian  hand  with  devout  resignation,  his  eye 
turned  to  heaven,  the  tear  flowing,  and  the  only  question  being : 
"  Just  God,  how  long  will  Thy  anger  be  turned  against  Thy 
people,  who,  as  tainted  wethers,  are  given  to  slaughter  ?  " 
There  is  no  poetry  in  this,  but  religion.  Such  faith  and  self- 
abnegation,  such  Divine  sorrow  and  sweet  resignation  as  would 
do  honor  to  the  giant  of  Uz  !  During  the  crusades,  when  Jew- 
ish blood  was  flowing  in  streams,  no  poetry  was  sung  in  Israel, 
but  the  heartache  was  appeased  by  a  mournful  prayer — the 


81 

Dim  Kim — which,  had  we  no  red  pages  in  history  to  tell  of 
Jewish  martyrdom,  would  itself  be  a  monument  more  glorious 
than  any  by  which  the  heroism  of  Home,  or  of  any  other 
people's  triumphs,  is  remembered.  Unlike  the  Christian  mar- 
tyrology,  which,  in  the  language  of  Gibbon,  created  a  "formi- 
dable army  of  martyrs,  whose  relics,  drawn  for  the  most  part 
from  the  catacombs  of  Rome,  have  replenished  so  many 
churches,  and  whose  marvelous  achievements  have  been  the  sub- 
ject of  so  many  volumes  of  Holy  Romance,"  a  pyramid  could 
be  built  of  their  skeletons  who,  by  the  influence  and  agents 
of  the  Church,  perished  faithful  to  The  One.  But,  often  before 
and  after  those  darkest  of  the  dark  centuries,  the  Jew,  though 
oppressed,  hunted  down,  and  hooted  at,  had  song  so  sweet, 
so  sad,  so  heart-stirring,  so  pleading  and  touching  that,  had 
the  enraged  world  cared  to  listen  to  his  cadence,  he  would  have 
been  proclaimed  the  nightingale  of  that  gloomy  cycle  ;  but  he 
sang  to  deaf  ears.  Mediaeval  Jewish  liturgy,  Zunz  conclusively 
proved  to  be  a  mine  of  inexhaustible  historic  and  poetic  treas- 
ure. In  a  cursory  survey  like  this  we  can  do  no  more  than 
skim  lightly  over  the  surface  of  a  sea  whose  deeps  more  as- 
siduous divers  have  sounded  and  explored.  It  is  in  the  Syna- 
gogue where  post-Biblical  Jewish  poetry  is  to  be  chiefly  looked 
for,  God-worship  having  ever  been  the  mightiest  source  and  mo- 
tive of  inspiration  for  Israel's  poetical  genius.  Who  was  the 
author  of  this  or  that  wonder-song  is  a  question  often  unan- 
swered. It  is  as  if  spiritual  voices  from  the  impenetrable  beyond 
were  hymning  to  our  soul  the  mystery  of  mysteries  in  accents 
indefinably  blissful,  not  lacking  the  pathos  of  pain,  an  under- 
current of  sadness  for  which  it  is  easy  to  account.  Our  "  tears 
and  blood,"  our  "  blood  and  tears,"  are  the  frequent  expres- 
sions interwoven  with  sublime  strains  addressed  to  The  Al- 
mighty Guardian  of  Israel.  "The  sacred  congregations,  who 
sacrificed  themselves  for  the  sanctitication  of  The  Lord," 
are  down  to  this  day  prayed  for  in  countless  synagogues. 
"May  the  avenging  of  thy  servants'  blood  yet  in  our  lifetime 
become  known  among  the  nations." — "  We  are  as  sheep 
destined  for  slaughter."  Such  lines,  however,  are  merely 
incidental,  and  lose  themselves  in  the  triumphant  outbursts  of 


82 

sacred  ecstasy,  oft  breaking  forth  under  extraordinary  circum- 
stances, such  as  the  mystic  strain  of  Kabbi  Amnon  of  Mayence, 
who  died  a  martyr  to  his  faith  in  the  thirteenth  century. 

Amnon,  a  favorite  of  the  elector  of  Mayence,  is  venomously 
insinuated  against  by  envious  courtiers,  who  suggest  that  his 
readiness  to  embrace  the  Christian  faith  should  be  made  the 
test  of  his  loyalty  to  the  arbitrary  magnate.  Thus,  being 
strongly  urged  to  abandon  Judaism,  Amnon  in  an  unguarded 
moment  promises  to  consider  the  matter  within  three  days, 
but  feels  bitter  remorse  the  next  hour,  and  fails  to  report  at  the 
expired  respite.  He  is  sent  for.  He  confesses  his  repentance 
to  have  held  out  a  hope  which  could  never  be  realized,  and  of- 
fers to  expiate  his  error  by  the  loss  of  his  tongue.  "  Not  the 
tongue,"  says  the  cruel  despot,  "  the  feet  which  did  not  bring 
thee  hither  shall  be  cut  off."  With  his  limbs  severed  from  his 
body  the  victim  was  soon  carried  home.  Three  days  later  be- 
ing Rosh  Hashanah,  the  unfortunate  man  begged  to  be  carried 
to  his  place  of  worship,  where,  stretched  on  his  litter,  he  prayed 
with  his  flock,  his  intense  pains  notwithstanding.  But  before 
Kedusha,  when  Israel  proclaims  the  Thrice  Holy,  he  in  tones 
of  ecstasy  cried,  "  Let  us  glorify  The  Lord,  for  Thou,  Eternal, 
art  our  King  !"  and  hereupon  he  recited  the  famous  t]pin  mrui, 
a  composition  on  the  day  of  judgment,  based  on  traditional 
hints,  but  in  its  nature  as  poetically  allegorical  and  awful  as 
any  scene  in  the  world's  literature  treating  of  the  supremest 
theme.     It  has  since  been  adopted  in  our  liturgy : — 

Now  herald  we  this  day's  grand  holiness ; 
How  awful  thrilling,  when  thus  glorified, 
Thy  Sovereign  Throne  in  grace  unshaken  stands, 
And  Truth  with  Thee  enthroned  is  seated  ; 
Thou  Judge  and  Advocate,  Omniscient  Eye, 
With  seal  and  chronicle  and  count  at  hand, 
Remembering  things  bygone  and  forgotten. 
Before  Thee  open  lies  all-records'  hook 
Wherein  each  man  his  doing  seals;  loud 
The  trumpet  sounds  ;  a  tremulous  whisper  fills 
The  skies  ;   the  angels  tremble,  seized  with  dread, 
And  thus  exclaim  :  "A  day  of  judgment  this 
When  heaven's  host  shall  be  arraigned!"  for  they 
Before  Thy  Throne  could  scarce  unguilty  stand  ; 
And  all  of  earthly  pilgrimage,  as  flock 
Before  the  shepherd,  pass  before  Thine  eye. 


83 

This  allegory  is  a  living  reality  in  the  Jewish  consciousness, 
and  is  but  an  echo  of  earlier  poets  who  seldom  soar  in  spheres 
lower  than  the  highest  empyrean.  We  have  given  some  pas- 
sages of  Solomon  Ibn  Gabirol's  "  Koyal  Crown ; "  our  limited 
space  allows  no  copious  quotations,  except  to  illustrate  the  na- 
ture of  mediaeval  Jewish  poetry.  A  few  verses  of  Ibn  Ga- 
birol,  Moses  Ibn  Ezra,  and  Jehudah  Halevy  will  answer  our 
purpose.  The  late  Emma  Lazarus,  herself  one  of  our  sweet- 
est singers,  silenced  too  early,  translates  "In  the  Night"  of 
Moses  Ibn  Ezra :-  - 

"  Unto  the  house  of  peace  my  spirit  yearns, 
Unto  the  source  of  being  my  soul  turns ; 
To  where  the  sacred  light  of  heaven  burns, 
She  struggles  thitherward  by  day  and  night. 

"  The  splendor  of  the  Lord  doth  blind  her  eyes; 
Up  without  wings  she  soareth  to  the  skies, 
Longing  in  silence,  ever  seeks  to  rise, 

In  dusky  evening  and  in  darksome  night. 

"  To  her  the  wonder  of  God's  works  appear  ; 
She  longs  with  fervor  Him  to  draw  anear ; 
The  tidings  of  His  glory  doth  she  hear, 
From  morn  to  even  and  from  night  to  night. 

"The  heaven  of  Thy  grace  did  o'er  me  rest, 
Yet  was  Thy  worship  banished  from  my  breast. 
Almighty!  Thou  didst  seek  me  out  and  test 
To  try  and  to  instruct  me  in  the  night. 

"  In  flesh  imprisoned  is  the  son  of  light, 
This  life  is  but  a  bridge  when  seen  aright. 
Rise  in  the  silent  hour  and  pray  with  might, 
Awake  and  call  upon  thy  God  by  night. 

"  Infatuate,  I  trifled  faith  away, 
In  nothingness  drained  through  my  manhood's  day  ; 
Therefore  my  streaming  tears  I  may  not  stay — 
They  are  my  meat  and  drink  by  day  and  night. 

"  Hasten  to  cleanse  thyself  of  sin  ;  arise ! 
Follow  truth's  path  that  leads  unto  the  skies : 
As  swift  as  yesterday  existence  flies, 
Brief,  even  as  a  watch  within  the  night. 

"  Youth's  charm  hath  like  a  fleeting  shadow  gone, 
With  eagle's  wing  the  hours  of  life  have  flown ; 
Alas !  the  time  when  pleasure  I  have  known, 
I  may  not  now  recall  by  day  or  ni<;ht. 


84 

"Observe  a  pious  fear,  be  whole  again, 
Hasten  to  purge  thy  heart  of  every  stain  ; 
No  more  from  prayer  and  penitence  refrain, 
But  turn  unto  thy  God  by  day  and  night. 

"  He  speaks :   My  child,  yea,  I  will  send  thee  aid  ; 
Bend  thou  thy  steps  to  Me  ;  be  not  afraid  ! 
No  nearer  friend  than  I  am  hast  thou  made  ; 

Patiently  wait  the  day.  to  which  there  is  no  night," 

And  the  same  hand  rendered  these  deep  words  sung  by 

Jehudah    Halevy.      This  is   truly  Jewish   poetry;    a  Divine 

Psalm  in  a  newer  garb  : — 

ADMONITION. 

"  Long  in  the  lap  of  childhood  didst  thou  sleep, 
Think  how  thy  youth  like  chaff  did  disappear, 
Shall  life's  sweet  spring  forever  last  ?    Look  up ! 
Old  age  approaches  ominously  near. 

"  0  shake  thou  off  the  world,  e'en  as  the  bird 
•        Shakes  off  the  midnight  dew  that  clogs  his  wings  ; 
Soar  upward !     Seek  deliverance  from  thy  chains 
And  from  the  earthly  dross  that  round  thee  clings." 

Finally  this  "Meditation  on  Death,"  by  Ibn  Gabirol,  so  well 
rendered  by  the  womanly  genius  of  Emma  Lazarus.  Sweet, 
heavenly  reconcilement  that  breathes  from  every  line,  so 
pathetic,  soft,  and  melodious,  so  painful  and  yet  so  hopeful ! 

"  Forget  thine  anguish  vexed  heart  again  ! 
Why  shouldst  thou  languish  with  earthly  pain  ? 
The  husk  shall  slumber  bedded  in  clay, 
Silent  and  sombre,  oblivion's  prey. 

"Why  full  of  terror,  compassed  with  error, 
Trouble  thy  heart  for  thy  mortal  part  ? 
The  soul  flies  home,  the  corpse  is  dumb, 
Of  all  thou  didst  have  follows  naught  to  the  grave ; 
Thou  rliest  thy  nest  swift  as  a  bird  to  thy  rest. 

'•  Life  is  a  vine-branch,  a  vintager  death  ; 
He  threatens  and  lowers  more  near  with  his  breath  ; 
Then  hasten,  arise,  seek  God,  0  my  soul ! 
For  time  quickly  flies,  though  far  seems  the  goal.  13 


13  In  the  D"nyT\  mm  for  the  year  1829,  Isaac  Samuel  Reggio,  of 
Gorizia,  reports  to  have  found,  among  a  heap  of  old  MSS.,  an  epic 
poem  by  R.  Moses  Rieti,  called  ^DTin  "13D  or  the  Temple.  "  On  pe- 
rusing it,"  says  Reggio,  "I  was  astonished  to  find  a  work  replete  with 


85 

Deep  notes  these,  even  in  the  borrowed  garb  of  translation. 
You  feel  the  sonl  swell,  expand,  long  and  soar,  ever  dissatisfied 
with  her  narrow  prison  below,  with  things  that  ever  change, 
wither,  and  decay.  "  Rise,  my  soul,  rise  higher  and  higher,  to 
the  very  feet  and  Presence  of  God."  Is  not  this  the  ground- 
swell  of  the  Hebrew's  genius  ?  Fathom,  define  our  poet's 
dream  %  You  could  as  well  fathom  and  define  the  sky's  gulf y 
blue,  the  mystery  of  past  and  future,  time  and  space.  What 
an  impartial  world  admires  we  are  unprepared  to  underrate. 
Homeric  song,  Miltonic  verse,  Shakespearean  scene  and  mono- 
logue bear  the  indelible  stamp  of  poetic  majesty,  the  seal 
of  supernal  inspiration.  Andromache,  the  Eve  of  Paradise 
Lost,  and  the  purity  of  a  Cordelia,  are  pictures  in  whom  earth 
and  heaven,  light  and  shade,  Iris  and  Aurora  are  masterfully 
blended.  So  Dante's  Beatrice.  With  superhuman  powers 
those  heroic  bards  seize  the  mind,  and  on  imagination's  wing 
carry  it  from  deep  to  deep,  from  height  to  height,  from  sphere 
to  sphere,  with  a  swiftness  and  a  vividness  which  are  resistless, 
with  a  fire  that  strikes  and  kindles.  Yet,  in  vain  do  you  look 
for  the  soul's  comfort,  the  spirit's  food,  the  heart's  balsam,  in 
those  vast  waves  of  song.  There  is  much  more  of  the  horrible 
than  the  delightful,  of  despair  than  of  hope,  in  the  Greek, 
English,  and  Italian  epic.  There  are  more  horrors  in  their 
hells  than  bliss  in  their  heavens ;  and  we  may  be  pardoned 
for  suspecting  that  infernal  tortures  were  more  of  a  reality 

poetic  beauty  and  merit.  The  more  I  read,  the  more  I  was  struck  with  the 
close  resemblance  between  the  author  and  Dante,  not  only  with  respect 
to  the  purity  and  elegance  of  the  language,  the  profundity  of  thought 
and  force  of  expression,  but  also  with  respect  to  his  subject,  which  is 
identically  the  same  with  the  Paradise  of  Dante.  His  style,  like  that  of 
the  last-mentioned  great  writer,  is  likewise  often  obscure,  so  as  to  convey 
a  meaning  beyond  that  which  meets  the  eye.  The  poem  is  divided  into 
eight  books,  which,  altogether,  contain  one  thousand  and  twelve  stanzas 
of  ten  hexameter  lines  each.  The  author  has  added  notes  illustrating 
his  subject,  and  containing  much  curious  information  respecting  the 
numerous  sages  and  great  men  he  celebrates,"  &c.  The  writer  of  the 
above  lines  concludes  that  Rieti  must  have  flourished  at  the  end  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  claims  the  distinction  of  having  made  known 
to  his  brethren  that  illustrious  poet,  whom  he  surnames  the  Hebrew 
Dante. 


86 

than  of  a  dream  to  all  of  them.  Homer  cannot  soar  unless  as- 
sisted by  an  inferior  goddess.  Dante  is  led  through  darkness 
to  twilight,  by  an  ancient  heathen,  whence  he  is  lifted  higher 
by  the  aid  of  his  Beatrice,  his  earliest  love,  who  died  untimely. 
Milton  seeks  a  muse  on  Horeb's  top,  and  when  he  invokes  The 
Spirit,  who  prefers  "  before  all  temples  the  upright  heart  and 
pure,"  it  is  for  an  "  adventurous  song,"  an  attempt  "  to  soar 
above  the  Aonian  mount,"  the  olden  seat  of  heathen  inspira- 
tion. Therefore  do  we  miss  the  spiritual,  mystic  glow  in  non- 
Jewish  poetry.  It  is  different  with  our  prophet  and  singer, 
who  see  God  face  to  face.  Non-Jewish  poets  are  intentional, 
conscious  dreamers  ;  you  can  see  them  make  up  their  mind  to 
dream,  appealing  for  wings  and  vision  to  some  intermediary 
influence,  their  song  being  scarcely  spontaneous  ;  our  poets  are 
born  dreamers,  unconscious  as  the  singing  bird  or  the  har- 
monious instrument  that  responds  to  the  master's  touch.  Non- 
Jewish  poetry  speaks  to  the  fancy,  often  to  man's  superstition, 
ignorance,  and  prejudice.  The  Hebrew  singer  speaks  to  the 
soul,  to  humanity,  takes  hold  of  heart  and  mind,  strikes  every 
note  of  joy  and  woe,  every  chord  of  faith  and  doubt,  and,  while 
himself  musing,  feeling,  and  dreaming,  causes  the  world  to  do 
likewise.  Ours  is  the  poetry  of  all  ages,  all  times,  all  men  ;  it 
will  never  grow  old,  because,  like  the  ocean,  it  is  deep  and 
mighty,  shrinks  not  with  the  ages ;  a  gift  of  God  for  the  com- 
fort of  the  whole  race,  responsive  to  every  need  of  the  soul. 

To  complete  this  brief  sketch  of  our  poet's  ideal  dream  we 
shall  barely  touch  on  its  symphonic  expressions,  which  are 
as  unique  as  the  genius  of  the  people  who  received  religion, 
law,  light,  song,  and  music  from  the  immediate  hand  of  God. 
A  harp,  tradition  says,  hung  over  the  head  of  King  David's 
bed,  which  at  midnight,  touched  by  the  gentle  west-wind,  began 
■  to  vibrate  and  emit  sweet  music,  at  which  the  monarch,  rising 
from  his  sleep,  would  spend  the  rest  of  the  night  in  song  and 
study.  No  record  is  extant  as  to  the  melodies  to  which  the 
Davidic  instrument  gave  sound  ;  he,  shepherd,  warrior,  poet, 
and  minstrel,  whose  touch  of  the  responsive  chord  had  the 
magic  of  chasing  away  the  melancholy  spirit  from  Saul's  mind. 
His    Divine   lyrics,  we   know,   resounded   in   the    Solomonic 


87 

Temple,  and  became  thereafter  the  nation's,  as  they  are  at  this 
hour  the  world's,  sweetest  hymns ;  but  the  melodies  are  irre- 
trievably gone,  an  irreparable  loss  forever  to  be  regretted.  Yet 
has  it  been  reserved  for  the  Teutonic  Wagner  to  discover,  to 
his  great  chagrin,  that  there  was  a  "  Judenthum  in  der  Musik," 
a  subject  he  treats  with  an  acrimony  worthy  of  a  good  orthodox 
Christian  who  hates  the  Jews,  because  he  owed  them  even 
something  else  besides  his  Christianity.  To  be  sure,  there  is 
Judaism  in  music  as  there  is  Judaism  in  all  ideal  religion 
and  ethics ;  but  Wagner,  who  understood  the  Jew  when  he 
needed  his  help,  spat  gall  at  him  the  moment  he  could  stand 
on  his  own  feet.  We  doubt  if  Homer,  had  he  ever  met 
Abraham  or  Moses,  could  have  understood  them.  Can  this 
be  said  of  Israel's  modern  calumniators,  whom  Wagner  so 
well  typifies  %  Such  venomous  abuse,  and  such  low,  sordid 
motives  !  The  world  is  rich  and  beautiful,  the  heavens  are 
grand  through  their  variety.  Wagner  is  full  of  venom,  because 
in  music,  as  elsewhere,  the  Jew  displays  his  peculiar  dreams. 
It  is  well-known  that  Meyerbeer's  first  great  opera,  Robert  le 
Biable,  eclipsed  in  thrilling  horror  and  supernatural  scenery 
anything  produced  on  the  stage  before.  Jephthah's  Vow  was 
Mendelssohn's  first  composition,  and  one  of  his  later  and  best 
was  Elijah.  Thus  even  the  baptismal  water  was  not  enough 
to  christianize  Mendelssohn's  genius,  who  betrayed  a  strong 
predilection  for  Biblical  subjects,  and,  like  Meyerbeer,  personi- 
fied the  supernatural,  the  indefinable,  the  mysterious.  Wag- 
ner's imagination  and  his  great  muse  turn  to  superstitions, 
legends,  and  folklore,  such  as  The  Flying  Dutchman,  Lohengrin, 
The  Ring  of  the  Nihelungen,  &c,  for  which  we  are  not  less 
grateful  than  for  the  ghosts  and  witches  of  Shakespeare  and 
Goethe.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  and  the  literature  and  fine 
arts  of  a  people  are  always  sure  to  reflect  its  religion,  fancies, 
and  superstitions.  But  why  that  sordid  jealousy,  that  base  in- 
gratitude of  a  genius  so  divinely  graced  and  so  despicably 
mean  ?  It  was  Meyerbeer  who  befriended  the  exiled,  obscure, 
and  poverty-stricken  Wagner  by  introducing  him  to  the  public, 
securing  the  production  of  his  Rienzi  and  of  the  Fliegende 
Hollander  on  the  stage  of  Berlin,  and  by  a  munificent  liberality 


88 

so  characteristic  of  the  generous  Jew.  We  are  told^that  a  prom- 
inent Israelite  in  Berlin  surprised  his  non-Jewish  company  by 
showing  them,  among  a  number  of  beautiful  things,  Richard 
Wagner's  statue  with  a  laurel  crown  on  head  and  a  hempen 
halter  round  its  neck.  They  understood  the  symbol ;  it  was  a 
crown  for  Ormuzd,  and  a  halter  for  Ahriman. 

However,  to  return  to  our  topic,  we  gleefully  put  it  on  record 
that  any  susceptible  Jewish  ear  accustomed  to  the  time-hal- 
lowed sacred  melodies  chanted  in  the  Synagogue,  must,  on  see- 
ing V Africaine,  feel  himself  quite  at  home,  the  music  bearing 
too  striking  a  resemblance  to  escape  notice.  With  Halevy  the 
Jewish  element  is  a  leading  feature  in  his  best  compositions  ; 
it  is  our  poet's  dream  still  prevailing  wherever,  in  rhythmical 
measure  or  melodious  utterance,  he  is  permitted  to  follow  his 
natural  bent,  and  the  world  is  not  poorer  on  this  account. 
Deep  in  feeling,  high  in  thought,  daring  in  imagination,  in- 
tense in  nature,  Hebrew  poetry  admits  of  no  substitute  ;  it  is 
Hebrew.  Thus  does  it  naturally  happen,  that  even  among 
the  mimics,  the  Jew  claims  the  foreground  in  ability  to  inter- 
pret what  the  great  have  dreamed.  In  La  Comedie  Frangaise, 
of  Paris,  you  may  see  the  statue  of  a  Jewess  bear  the  inscrip- 
tion La  Tragedie ;  the  cast  is  that  of  the  world-renowned 
Rachel ;  and  the  late  Victor  Hugo  in  the  presence  of  a  great 
assembly  gratefully  kissed  the  hand  of  another  Jewess,  who 
stands  unexcelled  as  an  interpreter  of  dramatic  genius ;  while 
Rubenstein's  jubilee  has  just  been  celebrated  by  all  Russia,  the 
Czar  at  the  head. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A   GLANCE   AT   THE   TALMUD. 

"What  is  the  most  remarkable  thing  you  have  seen  this 
morning,  my  dear  boy?  "  asked  a  venerable  grandfather  of  his 
lively  favorite  of  the  third  generation.  "  Why,  grandpa,  I 
have  seen  the  Italian  play  his  organ,  and  his  monkey  dance," 
was  the  reply.  "  Nothing  else  of  more  interest  ?  Just  think  ; 
what  was  the  most  wonderful  thing  you  saw  as  you  opened 
your  eyes?  "  "Ah,  now  I  know  what  you  mean  ;  the  bicycle 
papa  bought  me  on.  my  birthday,"  answered  the  grandson, 
looking  very  knowing.  "And  did  you  not  see  the  sun  ? " 
asked  the  hoary-headed  man,  not  without  an  air  of  disappoint- 
ment. "  Pshaw,  that  I  can  see  every  day,"  retorted  the  lad 
with  disgust.  "  So  it  is,  but  you  never  look  at  him,  anyhow." 
Is  this  not  the  case  with  the  great  majority  of  the  big,  thought- 
less children  of  Adam  ?  Toys  and  pop-guns,  what  else  are 
they  living  for  %  "  Men  are  funny  people,"  is  the  motto  of  a 
comical  German  paper;  but  some  are  too  funny  for  anything. 
In  the  freest  clime  not  one  out  of  a  hundred  is  truly  free. 
Habit,  prepossession,  education,  surroundings,  home,  school, 
and  church,  all  conspire  to  enslave  freedom,  efface  individual- 
ity. How  many  are  Jews,  Christians,  or  Mohammedans,  from 
pure,  deep-felt  conviction  ?  The  hardest  thing  is  to  make  a 
man  see  against  his  interest  and  habitual  conceptions.  During 
our  residence  in  Morocco  we  once  suggested  to  an  intelligent, 
friendly  Moor  to  exchange  his  flowing  garb,  light  sandals,  and 
soft  turban  for  a  European  attire.  The  Moslem  was  aston- 
ished at  our  unreasonable  suggestion,  as  he  termed  it,  and  not 
unjustly :  for,  by  comparing  costumes,  he  had  an  easy  victory 
in  proving  both  comfort  and  dignity  to  be  on  his  side.  We 
gave  it  up  reluctantly,  finding  it  impossible  to  uphold  the  stiff 
hat,  stiff  shirt,  starched  collar,  close  jacket,  and  hard,  pinching 

(89) 


90 

shoes,  in  face  of  the  softest,  most  comfortable,  and  easy  gar- 
ments a  man  may  wear.  Yet,  though  we  were  theoretically 
convinced,  we  practically  preferred  discomfort  to  change. 
Habit  makes  error  obstinate.  As  matters  stand,  but  few  see 
this  world  with  their  own  eyes,  unconscious  of  a  slavery  that 
makes  unbiased  sight  next  to  impossible.  Of  this  the  thought- 
ful son  of  Israel  has  daily  proof.  Defeat  sustained  through 
one  who  makes  me  better  or  wiser  is  victory ;  but  things  look 
dark  when  Nero  is  emperor,  Epaphroditus  his  courtier,  and 
Epictetus  the  courtier's  slave.  Time  is  sure  to  rectify  things, 
but  the  centuries  are  long,  error  supersedes  error,  one  su- 
perstition gives  way  to  another,  and  virtue  is  no  shield  where 
truth  has  no  vote.  Judaism  stands  armed  with  truth  ;  error 
may  outvote  it,  it  cannot  defeat  it ;  "  for  the  portion  of  The 
Lord  is  His  people ;  Jacob  is  the  lot  of  His  inheritance." 
Wonderful  are  the  ways  Providence  adopts  to  realize  His  mys- 
terious ends. 

When,  centuries  before  Hillel,  the  scribes  began  to  interpret 
the  Divine  Law  in  conformity  with  the  pressing  needs  of  the 
times,  nobody  thought  that  those  slight  beginnings  would,  after 
six  centuries,  culminate  in  a  prodigious  literature,  which,  in 
vastness  of  variety,  resembles  nature  in  the  tropics,  while  in 
its  historical  worth  it  is  inestimable  to  Judaism,  both  as  a  for- 
midable means  of  defense  and  aggression.  Let  no  sincere 
Christian  think  lightly  of  the  authentic  evidence  the  Talmud — 
the  unmutilated  Talmud,  which  the  destructive  efforts  of  the 
church  have  not  succeeded  in  annihilating — can  bring  to  bear 
in  throwing  light  on  the  true  origin  and  beginnings  of  his  re- 
ligion. The  historian  who  disdains  to  call  in  the  genuine  tes- 
timony concerning  Christianity  as  it  is  unceremoniously  given 
in  the  original  editions  of  that  enormous  work,  deprives  him- 
self of  the  only  reliable  source  of  information  on  that  subject. 
We  shall  elsewhere  give  more  attention  to  the  Messiah,  whose 
"kingdom  of  peace  "  turned  earth  into  one  vast  valley  of  Ge- 
hinnom.  In  the  following  paragraphs  we  mean  to  glance  at 
the  nature  and  contents  of  the  Talmuds. 

Rabbi  Jehudah  Hannassi,  a  descendant  of  the  great  Hillel 
the  Ancient,  and  surnamed  Rabbenu  Hakkadosh,  "  our  sacred 


91 

master,"  was  the  editor-in-chief  of  the  Minima — itself  a  vast 
literature  transmitted  from  generation  to  generation,  which, 
having  received  permanent  shape  in  six  divisions,  became  the 
text-book  of  the  yet  vaster  ocean  of  traditional  lore  which  is 
embraced  in  the  Palestinian  and  Babylonian  Talmuds.  With 
the  decline  and  disintegration  of  Israel's  temporal  kingdom, 
God  and  His  Law  form  the  central  idea  and  ideal  round  which 
the  oppressed  and  scattered  tribes  rally ;  physical  dissolution 
gives  room  to  spiritual  cohesion ;  powerful  schools,  inspired  by 
enthusiastic  leaders  and  thinkers,  spring  into  life,  and,  trans- 
planted into  foreign  climes,  Judaism,  with  its  Law,  Prophecy, 
and  traditional  wisdom  in  hand,  engages  in  that  tremendous 
struggle  for  spiritual  supremacy  the  end  of  which  the  world 
has  yet  to  see. 

Distinguished  among  the  several  Jewish  sects,  whose  con- 
tentions distracted  the  peace  of  crumbling  Judea,  stood  the 
Pharisees,  a  formidable  phalanx,  voicing  the  sentiments  and 
religious  aspirations  of  the  people,  and  strenuously  opposing 
the  letter-worshiping  Sadducees  and  the  mystic  Essenes  by 
teaching  the  spirit  and  not  the  dead  letter  of  Holy  Writ,  and, 
what  is  less  creditable,  by  introducing  into  Monotheistic  Juda- 
ism such  of  Magian  superstitions  as  they  deemed  reconcilable 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Law,  and  some  mystic  hints  in  prophecy. 
To  them  the  credit  is  due  of  having  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
all-embracing  and  growing  labyrinth  of  Jewish  traditions  gen- 
erally summed  up  under  the  heading  Talmud,  meaning  study, 
erudition,  or  interpretation  of  Mosaism  and  later  Prophecy. 
It  would  not  be  in  accordance  with  the  design  of  this  work  to 
enter  into  an  extensive  disquisition  as  to  the  rise,  growth,  devel- 
opment, and  nature  of  this  unparalleled  oral  literature,  which, 
originally  a  living  grove  of  picturesque  variety,  has,  in  time, 
assumed  the  lifeless  features  of  an  ossified  banyan-tree,  in  the 
shade  of  which  petrified  orthodoxy  delights  to  doze.  Without 
hesitation  it  may  be  said  that  Judaism  outgrew  the  impor- 
tance of  the  Talmud  as  a  source  of  religious  edification.  As  a 
work  of  historical  significance,  and  as  a  record  of  Jewish 
thought,  life,  and  ethics,  it  is  invaluable.  Thus  if  the  Talmud 
has  not  the  influence  over  progressive  Israel  it  still  commands 


92 

over  the  less  enlightened  portion  of  the  ancient  race,  it  is, 
nevertheless,  a  monument  to  be  contemplated  with  reverence 
and  wonder ;  yea,  to  be  searched  for  hidden  treasures  more 
precious  and  less  fabulous  than  the  hoards  of  the  ISfibelungen. 
We  have  here  to  deal  with  a  national  literature,  covering  a 
period  of  nearly  eight  centuries,  touching  any  and  every  topic 
of  human  interest,  and  breathing  the 'dreams  and  realities  of 
the  most  devout  and  inspired  people  on  earth. 

As  an  enlargement  of  and  supplement  to  the  Mishna,  the 
Talmud  is  called  Gemara,  the  complement,  and  their  compila- 
tion as  one  large  cyclopaedia — for  many  centuries  passing  from 
lip  to  lip  enshrined  in  a  people's  heart  and  memory — was  finally 
deemed  necessary  in  order  to  preserve  and  perpetuate  the  most 
authentic  legal,  social,  political,  and  .moral  events  in  Israel. 
That  this  library  shielded  the  identity  of  Judaism  and  was  a 
thorn  in  the  side  of  the  orthodox  Christian  and  Moslem  Church 
is,  perhaps,  proved  by  nothing  so  conclusively  as  by  the  inces- 
sant efforts  of  monk  and  dervish  to  destroy  it.  Talmud  Leal 
records  put  it  beyond  doubt  that  there  was  no  Jesus  cruci- 
fied at  the  time  vulgarly  adopted,  but  that  several  of  that 
name  and  of  a  rather  questionable  notoriety  were,  for  various 
crimes,  executed  centuries  before.  It  is  also  by  Talmud- 
ical  jurisprudence,  so  rigid  in  its  methods  of  criminal  proced- 
ure, that  we  are  able  to  discredit  the  fictitious  tale  of  the 
crucifixion  having  been  instigated  by  the  Jews,  the  writer  be- 
ing fortunately  one  entirely  ignorant  of  the  Sanhedric  law,  the 
sessions  of  the  grand  tribunal,  and  many  indisputable  facts, 
which  give  the  story-teller  the  lie.  The  tale,  as  given  by  the 
gospels,  that  Jesus  was  arrested  by  emissaries  of  the  high  priests, 
was  at  night  examined  by  the  judges  in  the  house  of  the  high 
priest  Caiaphas  ;  that  he  admitted  himself  to  be  the  Messiah 
and  "  the  Son  of  God ; "  that  the  judges  tore  their  garments  on 
hearing  this  blasphemy,  for  which  they  condemned  him  to  die, 
and  delivered  him  to  Pontius  Pilate,  who  had  him  scourged 
and,  with  two  other  criminals,  crucified,  is  flatly  contradicted 
by  the  following  facts  :  (1.)  There  was  never  more  than  one 
high  priest,  who  rarely,  if  ever,  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
presidency   of    the   Sanhedrim      (2.)    Long   before   the   date 


93 

spoken  of  the  right  to  judge  criminal  cases  had  been  denied 
the  Jews.  (3.)  No  criminal  could  be  condemned  in  one  night 
or  in  a  private  house.  (4.)  Jewish  law  allowed  no  double  pun- 
ishment, scourging  and  crucifying  ;  nor  was  crucifying  a  means 
of  legal  execution  ever  practiced  in  Israel.  (5.)  It  is  a  positive 
Jewish  law  that  no  more  than  one  criminal  should  be  executed 
in  one  day,  never  two,  still  less  three.  (6.)  Blasphemy  was 
a  capital  crime  after  the  blasphemer  was  warned  of  its  conse- 
quences.  The  claim  of  Jesus  to  be  "  the  Son  of  God  "  was  no 
blasphemy,  and  would  be  no  sufficient  reason  for  his  condem- 
nation ;  and  the  crookedness  of  this  statement  is  confirmed  by 
a  remark  of  Gibbon,  who  says  that  "  Chrysostom  and  Atha- 
nasius  are  obliged  to  confess  that  the  divinity  of  Christ  is 
rarely  mentioned  by  himself  or  his  apostles."  He  calls  him- 
self "the  Son  of  Man"  Besides  this  indirect  evidence  against 
many  an  Evangelical  error,  the  Talmud  has  a  way  of  calling 
things  by  their  proper  name,  which  made  the  St.  Cyrils  thirst 
for  Jewish  blood.  It  managed,  however,  to  survive  all  per- 
secutions, and,  what  we  thank  Providence  for  is,  that  there  are 
editions  thereof  which  escaped  the  ruthless  mutilations  of  the 
Church.  Without  the  Talmud  there  would  be  centuries  with- 
out any  true  records. 

While  the  doctors,  who  prominently  figure  in  this  volumi- 
nous display  of  laborious  erudition,  are  mostly  concerned  with 
discussing  the  oral  traditions  handed  down  to  their  age,  paying 
scrupulous  attention  to  such  references  as  involved  the  consci- 
entious interpretation  of  the  Mosaic  Law,  secular  knowledge, 
including  the  results  of  metaphysical  thought  and  scientific  re- 
search, are  copiously  embodied  in  its  heavy  tomes.  A  special 
predilection  therein  is  noticeable  for  mathematics  and  astron- 
omy ;  geometry  being  the  necessary  science,  indispensable  in 
legal  measurements  of  land  in  dispute ;  and  some  astronomical 
knowledge  being  necessary  in  settling  calendarial  questions, 
such  as  the  date  of  the  new  moon,  the  feasts,  the  holy  days,  the 
change  of  seasons  and  of  years. 

The  two  great  divisions  of  the  Talmud  are  respectively 
named  the  Halachah  and  the  Raggadah.  The  first  contains  a 
record  of  important  legal  cases  and  decisions ;  the  second  is  a 


94 

collection  of  historical  facts,  hyperboles,  legends,  fables,  allego- 
ries, enigmas,  practical  experience,  worldly  wisdom,  ethical  say- 
ings and  pithy  allusions  to  human  nature  and  its  frailties. 
These  latter,  together  with  numerous  ingenious  suggestions, 
fancies,  nice  interpretations  of  hints  and  superfluous  letters  in 
Scriptures,  make  up  the  material  of  the  several  works  known 
as  the  Midrashim,  which,  to  this  day,  are  an  inexhaustible  mine 
precious  to  the  Jewish  preacher.  The  charm  of  that  peculiar 
literature  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  contrasts  afforded  by  its 
hair-splitting  Halachic  linesse,  its  adroit  disentangling  of  the 
most  knotty  complications  presented  by  legal  problems,  and 
the  Haggadic  most  naive  incredible  tales,  anecdotes,  and  all 
kinds  of  dreams  and  poetical  flights,  which  relieve  and  amuse 
the  mind  as  the  eye  skims  over  the  stately  pages,  exuberant  as 
the  tropical  forest.  While  engaged  in  discussing  a  point  of 
law,  two  doctors  grow  warm,  when  the  one  exclaims :  "  If  I 
be  right,  let  the  walls  of  this  school  sustain  me  !  "  at  which,  we 
are  assured,  the  walls  reverently  inclined.  The  opposition  per- 
sisting and  rejecting  the  evidence  of  the  bent  w,alls,  the  other 
disputant  forcibly  appeals  to  a  neighboring  well,  and  it  moves 
to  another  place  to  confirm  his  view.  This  miraculous  mani- 
festation being  unheeded,  nay,  energetically  repudiated  by  a 
daring  opposition,  a  venerable  date-tree  is  required  to  sustain 
the  truth  of  the  assertion.  The  tree  responds  by  leaping  to  a 
distance  of  four  hundred  paces;  but  in  vain,  the  opposition  is 
stubborn.  "  Let  then  an  echo  from  heaven  bear  witness  that 
I  am  right !  "  says  the  triumphant  doctor.  Even  this  is  grant- 
ed, for  a  voice  audibly  rings  from  above,  upholding  his  inter- 
pretation of  the  Divine  Law.  Undismayed  the  opponent 
yields  not.  "  The  Torah  is  not  in  the  heavens,  but  has  long 
ago  been  given  to  us  through  Moses  on  Sinai,"  is  the  daring 
reply.  Elijah,  who  often  favored  the  learned  with  a  call  and 
some  friendly  message  or  instruction  from  above,  was,  on  the 
first  occasion,  asked  what  The  Almighty  did  when  those  super- 
natural signs  in  confirmation  of  the  one  party  were  left  un- 
heeded. "  He  smiled,"  said  he,  and  remarked,  "  my  children 
have  carried  it."  To  the  uninitiated  this  must  appear  sheer 
nonsense.     A  light  in   Israel — the  gaon  of  Wilna — reaches  a 


95 

different  conclusion,  seeing  in  that  narrative  a  profound  alle- 
gory, and  giving  it  a  meaning  much  more  acceptable  than 
many  a  one  forced  on  heathen  mythology. 

In  another  place  we  are  told  that  a  distinguished  teacher  in 
Israel,  having  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  government,  had 
to  flee  for  his  life,  and,  like  the  unfortunate  Hannibal,  found 
no  peace  nor  rest  until,  driven  to  extreme  straits,  he  sought 
refuge  in  a  forest,  facing  want  and  starvation.  In  connection 
with  this  poor  victim  of  tyranny  we  are  told  that  at  this  par- 
ticular date  there  was  a  serious  disagreement  in  heaven  be- 
tween the  "  Holy  One  blessed  be  He  "  and  the  blessed  Synod 
of  the  great  dead  and  learned  over  whom  He  presides,  concern- 
ing a  tumor  on  the  human  body,  which  case  finds  mention  in 
the  Mosaic  laws  of  cleanliness.  The  tumor  having  broken  out 
under  certain  conditions  The  Almighty  pronounced  the  patient 
as  clean  ;  the  Synod  declared  him  unclean.  Who  was  to  be 
the  umpire  in  so  grave  a  difference  ?  The  fugitive  Rabbi 
bar  Nachmani,  whose  claim  was  admitted  as  being  an  expert 
specialist  on  that  species  of  sickness.  While  breathing  his  last 
the  dying  sage  decided  in  favor  of  The  Holy  One,  expiring 
with  the  sound  tahor,  clean,  on  his  lip,  at  which  a  Heavenly 
Yoice  exclaimed :  "  Hail,  Rabbi  bar  Nachmani  !  for  thou  art 
clean,  and  thy  soul  left  thee  clean."14 

David,  it  is  stated,  prayed  long  that  he  might  be  informed 
as  to  the  day  of  his  death.  "  Thou  wilt  die  on  a  Sabbath  " 
was  all  he  was  granted ;  but  on  what  Sabbath  ?  Convinced 
that  the  angel  of  death  could  not  approach  him  as  long  as  he 
studied  the  Divine  Law,  he  spent  every  Sabbath  in  uninter- 
rupted study.  On  his  last  Sabbath  Death  was  puzzled  how  to 
reach  the  soul  of  the  aged  monarch,  who  was  engaged  in  holy 
work.  The  resources  of  Death,  however,  are  numerous.  Send- 
ing a  mighty  storm  through  the  trees  of  the  royal  gardens  the 
king,  alarmed  at  the  sweep  and  rustle,  proceeded  to  see  what 
it  was,  when  a  step  of  the  staircase  gave  way  ;  the  shock 
broke  his  strain  of  speech  and  thought  for  a  moment,  which 
was  sufficient  for  Death  to  accomplish  his  fatal  work. 

14  Does  not  this  allegory  prove  Israel's  old  faith  in  immortality? 


i>6 

It  were  unreasonable  to  look  for  consistency  in  a  variegated 
mass  of  traditional  literature  wherein  hundreds  of  teachers,  at 
various  ages  and  under  constantly  changing  circumstances, 
have  their  legal,  moral,  practical,  ideal,  and  philosophical  views 
recorded.  We  need,  therefore,  not  be  surprised  at  the  great 
divergence  of  views  as  we  find  them  faithfully  recorded,  a 
circumstance  which,  in  the  nature  of  things,  may  serve  as  a 
proof  in  favor  of  the  general  authenticity  of  Talmudical 
records.  Things  are  recorded  as  they  were  at  different  times 
uttered,  hence  the  contradictory  opinions  one  so  frequently 
perceives  in  perusing  different  volumes,  impressing  the  reader 
that  he  stands  before  a  forum  on  which  a  thousand  orators, 
lawyers,  poets,  dreamers,  and  philosophers  are  from  various 
standpoints  viewing  similar  questions.  A  strong  instance  of 
this  apparent  disagreement  of  different  authorities  is  fur- 
nished by  the  expressed  views  about  the  relation  of  God  and 
Israel  to  the  idolatrous  nations  of  earth.  First,  we  are  plainly 
told  that  Moses  prayed  that  the  Divine  Glory  might  not  shine 
on  any  but  the  Jewish  nation. — It  is  called  Sinai — Sinah — 
because  hatred  descended  on  it  for  the  Gentiles.— Eclipses  are 
ill-omens  for  Gentiles.— It  is  called  Moriah  because  terror, 
moreh,  sprung  from  it  for  idolators.— The  Ethiopians  are  no 
men.— Israel's  cattle  is  dearer  to  the  Gentiles  than  their 
wives.— Stealing  from  a  Gentile  is  forbidden  :  his  error  is  al- 
lowed.— The  idolater  who  observes  the  Sabbath  or  studies  the 
Law  deserves  capital  punishment. — Make  no  common  cause 
with  a  Gentile. — He  was  exiled  because  Ethiopians  sat  at  his 
table. — During  war  spare  not  the  best  of  the  Gentiles. — You 
may  turn  a  few  leaves  and  read  the  very  counterpart  of  these 
intolerant  teachings.  Just  glance  at  these  truly  humane  lines. — 
For  the  sake  of  peace  it  is  obligatory  to  support  the  non- Jew- 
ish with  the  Jewish  poor,  attend  their  sick,  and  bury  their 
dead  with  the  Jewish.15 — He  wTho  robs  a  Gentile  must  return 
the  object  stolen  ;  it  is  worse  to  defraud  a  Gentile  than  to 
rob  a  Jew,  thus  bringing  disgrace  on  Judaism. — The  Gentile 

SiOLr  "Sin  d;'  d-oj  -Sin  ppnoi  b*ntsr  "jj?  dj?  d-oj  "iy  ponan 15 


97 

who  studies  the  Law  is  as  good  as  the  High  Priest.— And  the 
"  righteous  of  all  nations  have  a  share  in  the  world  to  come." 16 
This  line  by  itself  is  a  world  of  philanthropic  love  of  which 
orthodox  Christianity  never  dreamt,  it  having  a  bottomless 
hell  for  all  dissenters. 

Infidels  and  fault-finding  humanitarians,  mounted  on  the 
windy  Pegasus  of  unmeasured  vanity,  ask  the  Jew  of  the 
nineteenth  century  to  account  for  those  summary  measures  of 
cruelty  recorded  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  misanthropic 
sentiments  here  and  there  expressed  in  the  Talmud.  Without 
calling  to  help  the  pressing  necessities  and  environments  of 
those  remote  times — which  fair  criticism  ought  to  consider,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  self-preserving  impulse— in  extenuation  of 
severities  and  utterances  which  in  those  works  are  not  the 
rule,  but  the  exception,  we  shall  say  that,  with  the  historical 
treatment  of  the  Jew  by  the  non-Jew  before  our  eyes,  we  are 
struck  with  wonder,  not  at  the  rare  absence  of  kindlier  feel- 
ings toward  an  outrageous  foe,  but  at  the  frequent  presence 
of  the  most  pressing  injunctions  enforcing  kindliness  and 
charity  toward  the  stranger,  Jew  or  non-Jew,  aye,  even 
toward  the  brute. 

Like  the  Gentile,  woman  enjoys  a  fair  share  of  Talmudical 
impartiality  in  the  treatment  accorded  her.  Once  she  is  the 
blessing  of  the  home ;  she  has  been  the  cause  of  Israel's  de- 
livery from  Egypt;  man  should  be  careful  of  her  honor; 
man's  home  means  his  wife ;  woman  received  greater  prom- 
ises from  God  than  man ;  her  beauty  enlarges  the  human  soul ; 
she  has  one  sense  more  than  man ;  her  virtue  makes  her  hus- 
band rich ;  the  generations  are  redeemed  through  virtuous 
womanhood ;  he  who  has  no  wife  is  no  man  ;  the  wifeless 
knows  neither  joy,  nor  any  other  blessing. — Again  the  medal 
is  reversed,  and  woman  is  spoken  of  as  a  vessel  full  of  dirt; 
as  one  after  whose  peace  no  man  should  inquire — of  the  ten 
bushels  of  speech  given  this  world  she  usurped  nine  ;  he  who 
is  influenced  by  his  wife  descends  to  hell;  she  dislikes  to  en- 
tertain guests.    The  best  of  women  indulge  in  superstition  and 


,*on  dSu,l>  pSn  onS  ty-  dSi;?h  jiidik  ipH2f" 


98 

witchcraft.  Speak  not  much  to  a  woman  ;  she  is  frivolous ;  she 
should  be  attracted  by  the  right  and  repelled  with  the  left  hand. 
As  to  a  bad  wife,  she  is  worse  than  death  ;  any  other  evil  is  pref- 
erable to  a  bad  woman ;  she  is  a  divine  infliction  of  whom  it  is 
meritorious  to  get  rid  by  divorce.  Life  is  made  bitter  by  a 
bad  wife  ;  when  it  is  said  that  the  poor  man's  days  are  evil,  he 
is  meant  who  has  a  bad  wife. — Personal  experience  had  doubt- 
less much  to  do  with  individual  views,  yet  there  is  no  differ- 
ence of  opinion  as  to  the  veneration  due  to  the  mother  in 
Israel,  whose  honor  is  guarded  by  the  Ten  Commandments, 
and  who  is  in  fact  the  all-in-all  in  the  Jewish  home,  as  it  will 
presently  be  shown.  The  good  wife  is  more  precious  than 
jewels.  "  He  who  marries  the  proper  wife,  Elijah  kisses  him,. 
and  The  Almighty  loves  him."  17 

An  almost  infinite  variety  of  beautiful  sayings  is  inter- 
spersed among  the  more  serious  subjects  treated  in  the  Talmud. 
We  take  a  few  of  these  at  random  :  "  To  help  the  poor  by  loan 
is  preferable  to  helping  them  by  charity. — The  seal  of  God  is 
truth.— Live  not  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  ignorant  who  is 
overreligious. — Enjoy  thy  Sabbath  like  any  other  day,  rather 
than  appeal  to  charity.— Israel  was  dispersed  among  the  nations 
so  that  he  might  grow  by  converts.— The  Lord  found  poverty 
to  be  the  best  endowment  for  the  benefit  of  Israel. — Having 
resisted  the  same  temptation  twice,  you  are  safe. — The  literary 
man  who  has  not  the  courage  of  his  views  is  no  wise  man. — 
The  righteous  need  no  memorial  service,  their  memory  being 
held  green  by  their  good  works. — Three  qualities  distinguish 
the  children  of  Israel :  modesty,  compassion,  and  humanity. — It 
is  better  that  one  should  throw  himself  into  a  fiery  furnace 
than  cause  his  fellow-man  to  blush  publicly— He  who  does  not 
teach  his  son  a  trade,  teaches  him  to  rob.— Blushing  is  a  good 
sign  ;  he  who  blushes,  will  not  easily  err ;  but  he  who  lias  no 
shame  proves  that  his  ancestry  did  not  stand  at  the  foot  of 
Sinai. — Work  is  great,  since  it  honors  the  worker. — Be  careful 
in  treating  the  youth  of  the  poor,  for  they  are  the  support  of 
the  Law. — No  man  sins  until   overcome  by  insanity. — Ratlier 

.bi  nnis  napi  iptyu  in,L>s  ii  rujinn  n^x  swan" 


99 

be  among  the  persecuted  than  among  the  persecutors. — The  law 
of  the  government  is  the  binding  law. — Even  of  the  Gentile  no 
interest  should  be  taken. — He  who  causes  the  good  to  be  done, 
is  better  than  the  doer  thereof  ;  he  who  dispenses  charity  un- 
known is  greater  than  our  law-giver  Moses.- — The  just  are 
more  than  ministering  angels. — As  man  measures  so  is  he 
measured. — Four  parties  never  behold  the  Shekinah — the 
scoffers,  the  liars,  the  flatterers,  and  the  defamers. — The  way 
man  chooses  to  walk  he  is  Providentially  led. — This  world  is 
related  to  the  hereafter  as  the  eve  of  Sabbath  to  the  Sabbath  ; 
having  prepared  nothing  on  Friday,  what  will  you  eat  on  the 
Sabbath  ? — Later  woes  cause  the  earlier  to  be  forgotten. — Who 
may  check  the  leaven  in  the  dough  ? — Open  thy  lips  and  let 
thy  words  enlighten. — Woe  to  the  generation  of  whom  you  are 
the  leader. — If  one  attempts  your  life,  anticipate  him  in  the 
deed. — AVhatever  God  does  is  done  for  the  best. — Nobody 
can  see  his  own  shortcomings. — Pass  bread  to  the  poor,  so 
that  others  may  dispense  it  to  thy  children. — Bargain  not  for 
things,  being  unpossessed  of  money. — A  divorced  man  who 
marries  a  divorced  woman  has  four  minds  in  his  house. — 
Should  that  deformity  meet  you  pull  him  along  to  the  school- 
house. — Woe  to  the  wicked,  woe  to  his  neighbor. — No  station 
can  honor  a  man,  it  is  he  who  honors  his  station. — Waste  not 
thy  well's  water  when  others  need  it. — Woman  is  more  anxious 
to  get  married  than  man  to  marry.- — The  lion  you  spoke  of 
turned  out  a  fox. —  Woe  is  me  if  I  speak,  woe  if  I  am  silent. — 
Ascribe  not  thy  fault  to  another. — The  learned  son  of  an 
ignorant  parent  is  like  one  coin  in  an  empty  vessel,  it  makes  a 
big  noise. — Reprimand  thyself  before  reprimanding  others. — 
If  you  ask  too  much,  you  will  get  nothing. — There  is  not  a 
man  who  has  not  once  a  happy  hour. — It  is  not  the  rat  but  the 
rat-hole  that  steals. — The  rivalry  of  the  wise  increases  wis- 
dom.—I  have  a  precious  pearl  in  my  hand  and  thou  wouldst 
have  me  lose  it  % — He  who  has  bread  for  to-day  and  worries 
about  to-morrow,  belongs  to  those  who  are  small  in  faith." 

And  this  yet  in  favor  of  womanhood  :  To  be  wifeless  means 
to  dispense  with  joy,  blessing,  kindness,  religion,  protection, 
and  peace. — He  who  divorces  his  wife  is  unbeloved  of  God. — 


100 

None  feels  a  man's  death  as  much  as  his  wife. — No  man  with- 
out a  wife ;  nor  a  woman  without  a  husband ;  nor  a  family 
without  God. — No  sooner  does  a  man  marry  than  his  sins  are 
forgiven. — Before  taking  a  wife  build  a  house  and  plant  a 
vineyard. — God  shields  the  loyal  couple,  without  Whom  they 
are  consumed  by  the  fire  of  contention. — Let  not  age  marry 
youth,  lest  the  sanctity  and  peace  of  home  be  impaired. — No 
man  should  afflict  his  wife,  for  God  counts  her  tears. — A  curse 
rests  on  the  family  whose  father  marries  for  money. — Marry 
a  wife  of  a  humbler  rank. — Be  careful  in  honoring  thy  wife, 
to  whom  all  thy  home's  blessings  are  due. — If  thy  wife  be 
small  bow  down  to  take  counsel  of  her. — Love  thy  wife  as  thy- 
self ;  honor  her  more  than  self. — Tears  are  shed  on  God's  altar 
for  one  who  abandons  the  spouse  of  his  youth. — He  who  sur- 
vives his  helpmate  has  been  present  at  the  destruction  of  the 
Temple. — Life  has  no  light  for  him  who  buries  his  wife. — 
Christianity,  it  will  be  shown  later,  was  very  slow  in  assimi- 
lating the  least  of  these  tender  feelings  in  regard  to  the  sacred 
dignity  of  womanhood.  Many  church  luminaries  have  seen  in 
their  mothers  the  instruments  of  the  devil. 

With  these  few  quotations  taken  from  an  unbounded  garden 
of  ethical  flowers  we  would  gladly  dismiss  the  subject,  gratified 
at  the  panoramic  exhibition  of  a  rare  province  human  curiosity 
has  yet  to  explore.  Candor,  however,  requires  us  to  look  at  the 
other  side  of  the  picture,  and,  having  displayed  the  good,  the 
beautiful,  and  the  true,  give  some  samples  of  the  less  admirable 
or  desirable.  Our  traditional  literature  having  been  developed 
on  foreign  soil,  superstitions  foreign  to  Monotheism,  fancies 
repugnant  to  sound  common  sense,  infiltrated  the  Jewish  mind 
to  a  deplorable  extent ;  so  that  Mosaic  silence  regarding  mat- 
ters beyond  the  grave  was  never  fully  understood  until  the 
exiled  Jews  had  sufficiently  freed  themselves  of  strange  no- 
tions conceived  by  coming  in  contact  with  other  creeds ;  no- 
tions such  as  that  of  hell  and  other  superstitions,  of  which 
our  revelation  has  little  to  say.  We  could  well  dispense  with 
the  whole  fancy  even  as  a  mere  allegory.  Such  allegories  are 
dangerous  to  the  untaught  and  the  thoughtless  vulgar.  Gladly 
would  we  have  left  the  task  to  Thomas  Aquinas  to  answer  the 


101 

weighty  questions:  "Whether  the  tire  that  shall  purge  the 
world  on  Doomsday  will  be  like  the  elemental  fire  we  know  ? 
Whether  the  sun  and  the  moon  will  darken  on  the  Day  of 
Judgment?  Whether  all  the  members  of  the  human  body 
will  rise  hair  and  nails  on  ?  Whether  souls  are  conducted  to 
heaven  or  to  hell  immediately  after  death  \  Whether  the 
gulfs  of  hell  are  the  same  as  Abraham's  bosom  (  "  This  re- 
minds one  of  Lucifer  in  the  "  Golden  Legend,"  who,  on  enter- 
ing the  great  school  of  Salern,  finds  the  following  thesis  af- 
fixed for  debate : — 

"  Whether  angels,  in  moving  from  place  to  place, 
Pass  through  the  intermediate  space  ; 
Whether  God  Himself  is  the  Author  of  evil, 
Or  whether  it  is  the  work  of  the  devil ; 
When,  where,  and  wherefore  Lucifer  fell, 
And  whether  he  now  is  chained  in  hell." 

We  have  never  ceased  to  be  grateful  that  the  names  of  our 
greatest  and  best  are  nowhere  associated  with  any  infernal  tribu- 
nal. In  defiance  to  Judaism  that  leaves  Eden's  gate  open  to  the 
"  righteous  of  all  nations,"  Tertullian,18  a  pillar  of  the  ortho- 
dox Church,  rejoices  at  the  blissful  prospect  of  seeing  Christ's 
tribunal  established  in  hell.  "  How  shall  I  admire,  how  laugh, 
how  rejoice,  how  exult  when  I  behold  so  many  proud  mon- 
archy, so  many  fancied  gods,  groaning  in  the  lowest  abyss  of 
darkness ;  so  many  magistrates  who  persecuted  the  name  of 
The  Lord,  liquefying  in  fiercer  fires  than  they  ever  kindled 
against  the  Christians ;  so  many  sage  philosophers  blushing  in 
red-hot  flames  with  their  deluded  scholars  ;  so  many  celebrated 
poets  trembling  before  the  tribunal,  not  of  Minos,  but  of 
Christ."  This  orthodox  theologian  has  a  good  many  more 
things  to  say  on  the  edifying  topic,  and,  as  he  is  ranked  among 
the  saints,  we  have  to  accept  his  authoritative  statement  that 
the  "  prince  of  peace  "  has  some  important  mission  in  the  in- 
fernal regions.  He  has  to  see  to  it  that  the  "  sage  philoso- 
phers"  and  the  "celebrated   poets,"  like  Socrates,  Buddha, 


18  It  is  a  well-known  fact,  stated  by  Gibbon,  that  Cyprian,  the  head 
of  the  Western  Church,  called  Tertullian  his  master. 


102 

Zoroaster,  Plato,  Moses,  Homer,  Virgil,  &c,  blush  "  in  red-hot 
flames."     Good  business  for  a  meek  Messiah.     That  the  in- 
quisitors and  all  good  Christians  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries  entertained  the  same  views,  that  there  are  at  this 
moment  scores  of  Christian  millions  who  believe  in  a  literal 
hell  and  devilish  torments,  are  facts  nobody  questions.     After 
all  the  Talmudical  fancies  of  hell  are  put  on  record  there  is 
the  emphatic  assertion  that  "  there  is  no  hell  in  the   world  to 
come,  but  God  ivill  draw  forth  the  sun  from  his  cover — the  soul 
from  the  body — scorching  the  wicked  and  comforting  the  up- 
right"    Thus  reassured  that  there  is  no  real  hell  for  the  Jew, 
we  are  going  to  give  a  fair  exhibit  of  our  infernal  fancies.   We 
gratefully  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  the  masterly  essay 
by  the  venerable  ex-secretary  of  the  Anglo-Jewish  Association, 
Kev.  A.  Lowy,  whose  "  Jewish  Legends  of  Hell "  enabled  us 
to  enlarge  our  previous  notes  on  the  same  topic.     The  expres- 
sion fancies,  instead  of  legends,  appears  to  us  preferable,  the 
legend  having  more  definite  outlines,  more  of  a  realistic  back- 
ground than  the  fancy.     An  event  uncertified  by  history,  but 
not  beyond  the  limits  of  the  possible,  makes  up  the  material  of 
a  popular  legend.     Is  hell  anything  but  a  creation  of  a  morbid 
fancy  ?     Does  not  the  Pharisaic  statement  that  all  prophecies 
point  to  the  Messianic  era,  the  hereafter  being  known  to  God 
alone,  sustain  this  view  ? 19 

There  should  be  no  hesitation  in  admitting  what  may  hardly 
be  denied,  and  that  is,  that  except  such  as  appeared  dangerous 
to  the  Monotheistic  principle,  popular  superstition  found  recog- 
nition in  the  Old  Testament.  Thus,  while  exorcism  is  strictly 
forbidden,  and  all  witchcraft  condemned,  the  sacrifice  offered 
to  \izazel,  the  evil  spirit  of  the  desert,  on  the  Day  of  Atone- 
ment, as  well  as  the  whole  sacrificial  ceremonial,  must  be  seen 
in  the  light  of  a  concession  made  to  an  unrefined,  unidealized, 
popular  temper,  tinged  with  superstition.  Nor  have  the  dim 
allusions  to  dark  regions  and  painful  conditions  in  after-life 
any  other  origin  ;  and,  current  as  such  fancies  must  have  been 
in  the  vocabulary  of  the  people,  the  prophet  and  the  poet  found 


103 

them  handy  to  allegorize  their  inspirations.  An  admixture  of 
non-Jewish  mythology  is  readily  perceived  in  the  later  cycle 
of  those  fabulous  fancies  which,  as  was  to  be  expected,  did  not 
escape  the  literal  belief  of  the  vulgar.  Jacob's  lamentation, 
that  he  would  descend  in  sorrow  to  sJieol,  is  certainly  but  an 
allegorical  figure  of  speech ;  and  so  it  is  as  often  as,  with  addi- 
tional remarks,  that  term  and  all  its  synonyms  occur  in  the  Old 
Testament.  Later  on  circumstances  altered  cases,  and  the  pop- 
ular mind  was  greatly  influenced  and  vice  restrained  by  a  caus- 
tic enumeration  of  such  vicious  or  degenerate  natures  as  are  lit 
subjects  for  the  fires  and  tortures  of  hell.  Such  are  the  un- 
charitable ;  the  weakling,  who  yields  too  much  to  female  influ- 
ence ;  the  sycophant ;  the  scoffer  ;  he  who  teaches  an  unworthy 
pupil;  he  who  obeys  his  lower  proclivities;  the  proud  and 
conceited ;  the  impudent ;  the  profane ;  all  sinners,  of  course, 
and,  we  are  sorry  to  add,  even  the  "  best  of  physicians," 20  and 
those  who  neglect  the  study  of  the  Divine  Law.  Apostates, 
like  Jeroboam,  are  doomed  forever ;  but  those  who  visit  the 
sick  ;  observe  the  Sabbath,  including  its  three  meals  ;  the  mod- 
est and  the  benevolent  and  the  righteous,  never  see  hell.  Hell 
is  entered  by  three  gates ;  is  wrapt  in  "  darkness  visible ; " 
is  presided  over  by  an  almighty  power,  the  "  lord  of  hell,"  to 
whom  God  said  :  "  I  am  above  it  and  you  below  ; "  it  has  seven 
names  and  seven  divisions ;  is  located  in  different  directions ; 
by  some,  beyond  the  firmament ;  by  others,  beneath  or  within 
the  earth ;  by  others  again,  beyond  the  dark  mountains,  to 
which  frequent  reference  is  made  in  the  Talmud.  Moham- 
med's fearful  picture  of  the  Tribunal  of  the  Sepulchre,  after 
Azrael  had  performed  his  task  of  separating  the  soul  from  the 
body,  is  copied  verbatim  el  literatim  from  Jewish  folklore,  a 
few  small  details  excepted.     His  black  angels,  Munker  and 

20  DJITJ1?  D"N3l"Oiy  21D  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Rousseau  is  likewise 
severe  in  his  flings  at  that  class  of  professional  men.  That  this  preju- 
dice was  and  is  not  general  among  Jews,  and  is  due  either  to  personal 
disappointment,  or  to  an  acquaintance  with  the  practices  of  quackery, 
is  not  alone  proved  by  a  Talmudical  warning,  not  to  live  in  a  place  that  has 
no  physician,  but  by  the  well-known  fact  that  during  the  Dark  Ages,  as 
well  as  at  present,  Jews  ranked  and  rank  high  among  the  foremost  of 
that  scientific  profession. 


104 

Nakeer,  who  call  on  every  new  grave,  unite  the  soul  with  the 
body,  and,  after  some  interrogation,  either  restore  body  and 
soul  to  peace  or  expose  them  to  horrid  torments,  applying  iron 
clubs  to  head  and  brow,  is  the  slightly  modified  story  of  the 
"Chibut  hakeber"  as  the  same  proceeding  is  called  in  our  tra- 
dition. Dante's  vision  of  the  infernal  regions,  and  treatment 
of  the  reprobates,  is  scarcely  an  improvement  on  what  a  ven- 
erable Talmudist  has  seen,  accompanied  by  the  accommodating 
Elijah,  to  the  entrance  of  hell. 

We  forbear  to  enter  into  details  so  well  known  to  those  who 
read  the  Italian,  British,  and  German  poets  on  that  unamusing 
topic.  Hell  is  vast ;  horrid ;  deep  ;  full  of  terrible  agents  ;  de- 
mons ;  fiery  beasts ;  devouring  elements ;  black  rivers  falling 
on  the  heads  of  the  tormented :  a  disgusting  picture  of  a  dis- 
gusting fable,  which  multiplied  the  terrors  and  agonies  of 
death.  "  Each  of  the  seven  habitations  of  hell  has  two  thou- 
sand houses ;  in  each  house  there  are  seven  windows,  and  in 
each  window  are  two  thousand  cruses  filled  with  the  substance 
of  gall,  and  in  these  habitations  the  delinquents  of  various  con- 
ditions serve  their  sentences  of  torture.  According  to  another 
version  of  this  legend,"  says  Mr.  Lowy,  "  there  are  in  each  of 
the  seven  regions  six  thousand  houses ;  in  each  house  six  thou- 
sand windows ;  in  each  window  six  thousand  cruses  of  gall. 
Regarding  the  dimensions  of  each  region  of  hell  there  are 
various  legends.  According  to  one,  each  region  is  one  hun- 
dred miles  in  length  and  fifty  miles  in  breadth.  According 
to  another  legend  hell  has  a  length  which  would  require  three 
hundred  years  to  walk  through.  The  same  number  of  years 
would  be  occupied  in  traveling  through  its  breadth;  conse- 
quently it  would  consume  twenty-one  hundred  years  to  pass 
from  one  end  to  another.  Another  legend  arrives  at  the  follow- 
ing estimate  of  the  extent  of  hell :  '  Egypt  has  four  hundred 
square  parasangs ;  Ethiopia  is  sixty  times  larger  than  Egypt; 
the  Garden  is  sixty  times  larger  than  Ethiopia ;  Eden  is  sixty 
times  larger  than  the  Garden,  and  Gehenna  is  sixty  times 
larger  than  Eden.  The  whole  world  appears  like  a  lid  cover- 
ing the  cauldron  of  hell.1 " 

That  will  do;  and  one  cannot  deny  respect  to  a  people  who, 


105 

with  such  a  capacious  hell  at  their  disposal,  still  reserved  a 
place  in  paradise  for  the  "  righteous  of  all  nations.'" 

Closely  connected  with  these  fancies  are,  of  course,  magic 
and  evil  spirits.  It  is  intimated  that  the  evil  spirits  were  all 
created  on  Friday.  Nobody  should  enter  an  uninhabited  place 
or  a  dilapidated  habitation,  lest  he  be  hurt  by  the  ubiquitous 
evil  genii.  The  reading  of  the  Shemang  is  recommended  as  a 
talisman  against  those  invisible  foes.  If  the  eye  could  see 
them,  nobody  could  stand  the  sight  of  those  myriads  of  evil 
ones,  who  are  ever  surrounding  man.  It  is  good  not  to  walk 
alone  at  night.  On  one  extraordinary  occasion,  it  is  asserted 
that  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  myriads  of  evil  spirits 
were  caused  to  descend  on  earth.21  It  is  not  allowed  to  salute 
anybody  at  night,  lest  he  be  an  evil  one.  When  the  wicked 
dies,  two  parties  of  demons  come  to  meet  him.  The  best  of 
women  are  witches.2-  If  one  sleeps  alone  at  night,  Lilith, 
Adam's  spiritual  wife,  will  seize  him.  Rabid  dogs,  with 
whom  the  witches  play,  are  possessed  of  a  demon.  Simeon 
ben  Shetach  had  eighty  witches  hung. 

The  doctrine  of  bodily  resurrection  has  its  origin  in 
Pharisaic  literature,  the  Pharisees  insisting  that  the  Israelite 
was  bound  to  believe  that  doctrine,  which  they  traced  back  to 
the  Divine  Law.  We  are  assured  in  Sanhedrin  92,  that  the 
"  righteous,  whom  God  will  resurrect,  will  never  return  to  dust 
again  ;  they  will  have  wings  and  be  able  to  swim  on  water." 
They  who  doubt  the  doctrine  of  resurrection  fall  into  Gehin- 
nom.  Moses  Maimonides  and  Moses  Mendelssohn  subscribed 
to  that  article  of  faith,  and  it  is  useless  to  add  that  their  fol- 
lowers in  this  respect  are  at  this  very  hour  counted  by  mill- 
ions. Would  to  Heaven  they  had  spoken  of  it  as  an  allegory, 
but  there  is  no  trace  of  such  a  conception  about  the  thirteen 
articles  which  Maimonides  composed  and  Mendelssohn  en- 
dorsed. In  pleasant  contrast  to  this  is  the  grandly  ideal 
view  of  the  blessed  beyond,  as  it  is  dimly  spoken  of  in  that 
same  traditional  literature.  The  human  soul  is  philosoph- 
ically compared    with  the  Infinite    Spirit.     As  God  fills  the 


.D'sbo  r6y3  D^jnty  maon"     .nhon  'dnSd  xm  dd  vrv" 


106 

whole  universe,  so  is  the  body  full  of  the  soul ;  as  God  sees, 
Himself  unseen,  so  the  soul ;  as  God  sustains  the  universe,  so 
the  soul  the  body  ;  as  He  is  pure,  so  the  soul ;  as  He  is  hidden 
in  the  remotest  quarters,  so  the  soul."  Agreeably  to  this  view 
of  the  soul  is  the  picture  of  bliss  promised  in  the  beyond. 
The  learned,  who  spend  their  lives  in  the  study  of  the  Law, 
are  admitted  to  the  celestial  Synod  presided  over  by  The 
Almighty.  The  souls  of  the  righteous  dwell  under  the  Throne 
of  Glory,23  an  idea  on  which  Mohammed's  paradise  is  based. 
The  following  is  an  explicit  passage  on  the  subject.  "  In  the 
world  to  come,  there  is  neither  eating  nor  drinking,  nor  sen- 
sual indulgence,  nor  any  material  occupation,  nor  jealousy, 
nor  hatred,  nor  competition  ;  but  the  just  rest,  crowns  on 
head,  deriving  ineffable  bliss  from  the  clearest  light  of  Divine 
Majesty."  Evidently  sharing  this  sweetest  of  human  hopes, 
Ibn  Gabirol  sings: — 

"  Who  may  Thy  Wisdom  emulate,  who  didst 
Beneath  Thy  Majesty's  Supremest  Throne, 
A  blissful  station  grant  the  upright  soul ; — 
They,  spirits  pure,  thus  deathless  wrapt  in  life, 
Reposing  from  sublunar  toil,  tasting  bliss 
Immortal,  ranked,  besides,  in  brilliant  files 
Before  Divinest  Grace  in  bliss  enthroned, 
Their  heavenly  Manna  being  wisdom  sweet, 
rnf'athomed  here  ;    such  be  the  meed  of  them, 
Whose  heritage  is  life  unuttered  here." 

Let  us  not  turn  away  from  this  traditional  maze  of  dreams, 
fancies,  and  realities,  without  a  word  on  the  mystical,  mythi- 
cal, and  mythological  personality  of  Elijah,  who,  invested 
with  all  the  virtues,  rights,  and  powers  of  the  highest  angels, 
often  wanders  among  the  mortal  race,  seeing,  unseen.  He 
is  the  Matatron,  the  intermediator  between  God  and  man, 
whose  prayers  he  spreads  before  his  Divine  Master,  supple- 
menting them  with  a  pleading  word.  He  visits  the  pious,  the 
sick,  and  sometimes  the  virtuous  poor,  spreading  hope,  healing, 
and  blessing  wherever  he  moves.  His  benign  presence  is  even 
grateful  to  the  canine  species,  that  play,  delighted  at  the  sight 


.inon  xdd  nnn  rmu;  ayr*  W  \navr:  -3 


107 

of  this  messenger  of  good,  but  howl  as  often  as  the  angel  of 
death  lands  on  this  terrestrial  globe.  In  thousands  of  Jewish 
homes,  a  special  cup  filled  with  wine  is  set  apart  on  the  first 
eve  of  the  Passover  for  Elijah,  who  is  supposed  to  fly  from 
house  to  house,  followed  by  a  host  of  blessed  and  blessing 
angels.  Finally  it  is  he  who  is  waiting  to  give  the  signal 
when  the  true  Messiah  shall  descend  to  found  God's  everlast- 
ing kingdom  below,  bringing  love  and  peace  to  all  men. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THEIR  MESSIAH   AND   OUR   IDEAL. 

There  is  something  darker  and  more  real  in  this  world  than 
the  mythical  goddess,  Ate,  who,  according  to  Homer,  now  and 
then  walks  on  the  heads  of  mankind  to  confuse  their  sane  in- 
tellect, and  that  is  the  misconception  and  forced  interpreta- 
tion of  an  allegory,  such  as  the  forever  distorted  and  misun- 
derstood prophecy  of  the  deeply  allegorical  Isaiah  and  his 
prophetic  followers.  Nothing  in  the  annals  of  error  is  psycho- 
logically more  remarkable  than  the  moral,  religious,  social,  and 
political  revolutions  brought  about  by  the  illogical,  historically 
unjustified  and  unconfirmed  significance  attached  to  an  un- 
proved, unsustained  realization  of  the  prophet's  Messianic 
dream  ;  misinterpreted  and  grossly  misapplied  by  the  trini- 
tarian,  image-worshiping,  orthodox  Church.  Heathen  mythol- 
ogy is  beautiful  compared  with  the  misconceived  Jesus-myth, 
fearful  in  its  dark  consequences  ;  written  with  the  blood  and 
tears  of  at  least  as  many  victims  as  the  man-eating  Aztecs  sac- 
rificed to  their  demoniac  idols.  That  Tophet  of  gore,  corrup- 
tion, vice,  and  crime  !  Who  ever  hated  deeper,  dealt  more 
cruelly,  aye  fiendishly,  with  fellow-men  of  independent  faith 
and  thought  than  the  medieval,  ah  !  me,  and  the  modern  semi- 
barbarous  followers  of  that  legendary  Messiah  ?  It  is  the 
blackest  nightmare  history  tells  of.  In  questions  of  truth  and 
error,  how  little  do  majorities  avail !  As  if  to  show  that  truth 
is  not  measured  by  bulk,  a  Wise  Providence  ordained  that 
the  world  be  redeemed  by  a  few  enlightened  minds,  the 
precious  being  always  rare ;  and  that  the  wisest,  not  the  vast- 
est, nations  determine  the  course  of  man's  moral  develop- 
ment. Even  what  is  at  this  moment  known  as  the  "  civilized 
world  "  embraces  but  a  small  minority  of  the  fourteen  hundred 
millions  of   men  and  women  on   the   globe,  so  that  human 

(109) 


110 

progress  is  hardly  endorsed  by  a  vote  of  the  great  majority. 
The  masses  are  deaf.  You  reason,  prove,  or  disprove  in  vain. 
Until  a  recent  date,  the  question  was  not,  Who  speaks  truth  ? 
but,  Who  may  enforce  his  argument  with  the  iron  rod  ?  It  is 
useless  to  rehash  what  men  of  deep,  impartial  genius  have  so 
often  proved.  The  Jesus  begotten  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
born  of  a  virgin,  History  knows  not,  and  sound  common  sense 
rejects.  The  Jesus  of  history  is  one  of  many  namesakes ;  his 
teachings  are  as  contradictory  as  his  record,  and  as  uncertain. 
The  foundation  of  the  Church  is  legend  ;  her  teachings  are  a 
patchwork,  and  whatever  there  is  good  and  beautiful  therein, 
her  actions,  her  annals  belied.  Unscrupulous  zealotism  erased 
damaging  passages  from  the  Talmud,  distorted  Sacred  Writ 
and  historical  documents  by  spurious  interpolations,  gagged 
freedom  of  speech,  chained  liberty  of  thought,  having  no 
safer  prop  to  uphold  a  creed  whose  basis  is  fiction  and  miracle. 
Pray,  consider  this  single  fact :  Here  is  a  people  of  a  fiery 
imagination,  groaning  under  Roman  oppression,  divided  by 
civil  war,  rushing  toward  dissolution,  anxiously  hoping,  pray- 
ing, and  waiting  for  a  deliverer — a  promised  Messiah,  and 
rejecting  him  whose  birth  was  announced  by  a  detached  star, 
and  whose  miraculous  performances,  if  partly  true,  ought  to 
have  sufficed  to  turn  even  an  Antiochus  Epiphanes  into  a  Jew. 
Such  an  incomprehensible  blindness  is  verily  the  greatest  of  all 
recorded  miracles.  Why  did  the  "  Lion  of  Judah  "  disdain 
his  own  Messiah  % 

This  is  an  historical  phenomenon  non-Jewish  historians 
never  critically  consider.  Why  did  the  Jews  not  accept  Jesus, 
having  shown  themselves  ready  to  recognize  a  Messiah  in  a 
mere  brave  warrior,  like  Barcocheba — yea,  having  virtually 
paid  Messianic  honors  to  Cyrus  ?  When  a  man  like  Gibbon,  in 
trying  to  account  for  the  obstinacy  of  the  "  Jewish  Christians  " 
to  see  more  than  a  man  in  Jesus,  says  that  "  the  miracles  of 
the  gospels  could  not  astonish  a  people  who  held  with  in- 
trepid faith  the  more  splendid  prodigies  of  the  Mosaic  Law,'1 
he  says  in  as  many  words  that  the  most  credulous  and  de- 
luded of  the  Jews  were  not  hopelessly  deceived.  Celsus,  a 
Greek   philosopher  of  no  mean  quality,  in  his  "  True  Dis- 


Ill 

course,"  induces  a  Jew  to  advance  causes  for  his  rejection  of 
the  miraculous  birth  and  the  Messiahshipof  Jesus.  According 
to  the  information  of  that  Greek  chronicler,  Mary  was  not  a 
virgin,  but  a  divorced  woman,  who  fell  in  love  with  a  Roman 
soldier,  Panthera,  and  the  fruit  of  this  love  was  Jesus.  Owino- 
to  poverty  the  soldier's  son  emigrated  to  Egypt,  where  he  had 
learned  many  necromantic  tricks,  by  means  of  which,  reappear- 
ing in  Judea,  he  tried  to  sustain  his  Messianic  pretensions.  His 
miracles  any  Egyptian  juggler  could  perform,  and  more  than 
such  he  never  brought  to  light.24  His  divine  mission  remained 
thus  unsustained.  If  he  were  a  god  he  would  not  have  chosen 
questionable  and  worthless  men  as  his  apostles.  His  fore- 
knowledge ought  to  have  excluded  Judas  from  his  company. 
His  resurrection  was  an  absurd  fabrication,  or  he  would  have 
reappeared  and  justified  his  nature  as  a  god,  instead  of  stand- 
ing on  record  as  a  rebel.  Who  had  seen  him  after  he  had 
risen  ?  A  half -insane  woman  and  two  of  his  followers  under  the 
influence  of  an  absurd  hallucination. — Celsus  had  seen  Chris- 
tianity in  its  infancy,  knew  the  Jews  and  many  of  the  church 
fathers,  and  is  thus  entitled  to  some  consideration.  Enlight- 
ened Israel  is  unprepared  to  attach  weight  to  slanderous  tissues 
of  that  kind,  but  they  are  noteworthy  as  the  deliberate  ex- 
pressions of  men,  high-minded  and  cultured,  never  speaking 

24  A  quotation  somewhere  else  will  show  that  Strauss  had  similar  mis- 
givings about  the  veracity  and  miraculous  performances  of  Jesus.  To 
Renan  he  is  a  man  "whom  his  death  made  divine,"  and  as  a  critic  justly 
remarked,  he  reduced  him  to  "  an  amiable  rabbi  who.  beginning  as  an 
innocent  enthusiast,  developed  into  something  hardly,  if  at  all,  removed 
from  conscious  imposture."  We  have  yet  to  hear  of  a  Hebrew  sage  or 
prophet  who  stood  open  to  such  disgraceful  and  yet  unrefuted  charges  as 
are  associated  with  the  origin  and  growth  of  Christianity ;  charges  which, 
instead  of  being  diminished  and  weakened  by  the  increase  of  light 
thrown  by  scientific  research,  are,  on  the  contrary,  on  the  increase  as  the 
ages  advance.  In  this  case  it  very  much  looks  as  if  falsehood  is  a  fearful 
investment  that  bears  interest  of  interest.  Had  Mohammed  died  a  poor, 
obscure  Arab  the  grave  would  have  given  him  peace.  His  assumed  mis- 
sion of  the  "last  prophet"  doomed  him  to  be  periodically  exhumed, 
paraded,  examined,  arraigned,  condemned,  executed,  and  buried,  only  to 
be  unearthed  by  some  other  critic.  Such  is  Nemesis.  Truly,  there  is 
"  no  peace  for  the  wicked." 


112 

without  thinking.  The  Platonic  philosopher  evidently  looked 
seriously  into  the  matter,  and  we  are  having  the  benefit  of  his 
conclusions.  Celsus  was  not  a  poet  but  a  thinker,  and  his  "  True 
Discourse  "  is  not  intended  to  fill  the  place  of  a  romance.  Nor 
was  it  sufficiently  refuted  by  the  church  fathers,  who  often  mis- 
took contradiction  for  refutation. 

Glancing  at  the  bare-laid  history  of  the  inner  primitive 
Church,  Jewish  aversion  to  it  assumes  the  nature  of  several 
logical  causes.  Before  the  first  century  of  the  vulgar  era  had 
passed,  schism  and  heresy  divided  the  Church,  the  Gnostics 
alone  or  Gentile  Christians  being  subdivided  into  more  than 
fifty  particular  sects,  each  one  boasting  of  its  bishops,  martyrs, 
and  apostles,  and,  what  is  yet  more  questionable,  of  a  different, 
history  of  the  career  and  teachings  of  Jesus  and  his  twelve 
disciples,  irreconcilable  with  the  contents  of  the  four,  in  them- 
selves contradictory,  gospels  endorsed  by  the  Church  proper  as 
authentic.  When  it  is  added  that  the  Gnostics  were  the  most 
thoughtful  of  the  primitive  Christians,  and  therefore  the  least 
trusted  by  a  church  based  on  ignorance  and  blind  faith,  the 
surprise  at  Jewish  opposition  to  the  whole  system  will  not  in- 
crease. Concerning  the  authenticity  of  the  gospels  as  we 
have  them,  Eusebius  complains  of  the  philosophical  Christians, 
who  "  presume  to  alter  the  Holy  Scriptures,  to  abandon  the 
ancient  rule  of  faith,  and  to  form  their  opinion  according 
to  the  subtile  precepts  of  logic."  *  *  *  "  Their  errors 
are  derived  from  the  abuse  of  the  arts  and  sciences  of  the  in- 
fidels, and  they  corrupt  the  simplicity  of  the  gospel  by  the  re- 
finement of  human  reason. "  Human  reason  is  the  thing  the 
good  church  father  piously  abhors  :  a  sentiment  of  which  the 
Vatican  is  full.  It  appears  that  the  most  enlightened  primi- 
tive Christian  found  the  gospel  to  be  painfully  in  need  of  re- 
finement, and  he  did  his  best  in  this  direction.  Celsus  does, 
likewise,  accuse  the  Christians  of  incessant  alterations  and 
corrections  in  the  substance  of  the  gospel.  Nothing  that 
promised  advantage  to  the  pious  work  appeared  forbidden  to 
the  church  fathers.  The  difference  between  policy  and  princi- 
ple was  not  a  matter  of  serious  deliberation.  "  There  exists 
not  a  people,"  says  the  veracious  Justin  Martyr,  of  the  second 


113 

century,  "  whether  Greek  or  Barbarian,  or  any  other  race  of 
men  by  whatsoever  appellation  or  manner  they  may  be  distin- 
guished, however  ignorant  of  arts  or  agriculture,  whether  thev 
dwell  in  tents  or  wander  about  in  covered  wagons,  among 
whom  prayers  are  not  offered  up,  in  the  name  of  a  crucified 
Jesus,  to  the  Father  and  Creator  of  all  things."  At  the  end 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  such  a  statement  would  provoke  a 
compassionate  smile ;  at  the  date  of  its  writing  it  was  a  delib- 
erate falsehood.  The  "pious  fraud"  is  an  integral  part  of 
primitive  Christianity,  and  never  was  humanity  more  duped 
than  when  it  relied  on  the  fulfillment  of  some  ambiguous 
prophecy  of  Jesus.  When  time  exploded  the  stupidity  of  the 
impending  millennium,  after  it  had  been  positively  predicted 
by  the  "  Son  "  of  God,  lame  attempts  were  made  to  allegorize 
the  thing,  while  the  scholarly  Grotius,  with  more  candor  than 
policy,  suggests,  that  for  a  "  wise  end  "  that  "  pious  fraud  " 
was  allowed  to  agitate  the  world  for  so  many  centuries.  Who 
feels  not  a  pity  for  a  religion  that  endeavors  to  attain  her 
holy  ends  by  "  pious  frauds."  Blame  old  Judaism  for  shun- 
ning and  denouncing  such  an  ungenuine,  unfilial,  off-shoot  ? 

And  that  ludicrous  jugglery  of  the  primitive  Church  that 
was  palmed  off  as  miracles  !  Almost  every  Christian  in  the 
days  of  father  Irenreus  was  a  prophet,  open  to  sudden  inspira- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Startling  miracles  were  of  daily  oc- 
currence ;  demons  were  driven  out  from  possessed  Christians  ; 
the  sick  were  healed,  the  dead  restored  to  life ;  foreign  lan- 
guages were  acquired  by  the  ignorant  in  a  supernatural  man- 
ner. Yet  when  a  distinguished  Greek  assured  Theophilus  of 
his  readiness  to  embrace  Christianity  at  the  sight  of  a  single 
individual  who  had  really  been  raised  from  the  dead,  that 
Bishop  of  Antioch  thought  it  prudent  to  decline  this  fair  prop- 
osition. 

Neither  was  the  moral  ideal  of  the  primitive  monk  of  a 
nature  to  inspire  the  Jew  with  respect  for  the  church.  A  few 
words  of  Gibbon  tell  the  tale  :  "  Disdaining  an  ignominious 
flight  the  virgins  of  the  warm  climate  of  Africa  encountered 
the  enemy  in  the  closest  engagement :  they  permitted  priests 
and  deacons  to  share  their  bed,  and  gloried  amidst  the  flames 


114 

of  their  unsullied  purity.  But  insulted  nature  sometimes  vin- 
dicated her  rights,  and  this  new  species  of  martyrdom  served 
only  to  introduce  a  new  scandal  into  the  church.''''  Milman 
puts  on  record  that  father  "  Felicimus  had  been  condemned  by 
a  synod  of  bishops  on  the  charge  not  only  of  schism,  but  of 
embezzlement  of  public  money,  the  debauching  of  virgins, 
and  frequent  acts  of  adultery.  His  violent  menaces  extorted 
his  readmission,  against  which  Cyprian  protests  with  much  ve- 
hemence." This  father  of  righteous  indignation  calls  those 
"  innocent  amusements  "  indulged  in  by  the  holy  men  "  irreg- 
ularities." We  should  think  such  irregularities  a  fair  excuse 
for  those  blind  Jews  who  did  not  turn  Christians.  But 
father  Cyril  did  not  see  it  in  this  light.  Referring  to  the  fact  . 
that  the  first  converts  to  Christianity  were  mostly  drawn  from 
the  scum  of  the  masses,  Gibbon  thinks  it  all  Providentially  de- 
signed, obscurity,  ignorance,  superstition,  barbarism,  and  pov- 
erty having,  in  his  judgment,  been  indispensable  to  the  success 
of  the  church.  Christianity  had  to  rise  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest.  He  continues,  "  We  stand  in  need  of  such  reflections 
to  comfort  us  for  the  loss  of  some  illustrious  characters,  which, 
in  our  eyes,  might  have  seemed  the  most  worthy  of  the  heav- 
enly present.  The  names  of  Seneca,  of  the  older  and  the 
younger  Pliny,  of  Tacitus,  of  Plutarch,  of  Galen,  of  the  slave 
Epictetus,  and  of  the  emperor  Marcus  Antoninus,  adorn  the 
age  in  which  they  flourished,  and  exalt  the  dignity  of  human 
nature.  They  filled  with  glory  their  respective  stations  either  in 
active  or  contemplative  life ;  their  excellent  understandings  were 
improved  by  study  ;  philosophy  had  purified  their  minds  from 
prejudices  of  the  popular  superstition,  and  their  days  were  spent 
in  the  pursuit  of  truth  and  the  practice  of  virtue.  Yet  all  these 
sages  (it  is  not  less  an  object  of  surprise  than  of  concern)  over- 
looked or  rejected  the  perfection  of  the  Christian  system." 

It  is  proper  for  us  to  notice  that,  unloved  as  Israel  was  of 
Pome,  his  faith  was  not  treated  with  disrespect,  but  rather 
with  wonder.  The  same  sentiment  that  caused  Alexander 
the  Great  to  bow  before  the  name  of  Jehovah  engraved  on 
the  headgear  of  the  High  Priest,  induced  Augustus  to  ask 
that  sacrifices  be  offered  up  for  his  prosperity  in  the  Temple 


115 

of  Zion.  Had  the  Jews  been  treated  with  contempt  as  some 
Christian  historians  would  have  us  believe,  would  the  proud 
Caligula  have  insisted  on  having  his  statue  placed  in  the  Jew- 
ish sanctuary,  an  honor  which  all  Judea  heroically  denied  ? 
Jewish  heroism  and  sincerity  exacted  respect  of  the  conqueror, 
while  Christian  jugglery  and  mysticism  aroused  his  suspicion 
and  contempt-  The  Synagogue  was  frank,  open,  and  known  ; 
the  Church  was  clandestine,  mystic,  and  repugnant. 

It  is  amusing  to  read  the  popular  Roman  view  of  primitive 
Christianity  as  reflected  by  Eunapius,  who  ranks  the  monks 
among  the  animals.  "  The  monks  are  the  authors  of  the  new 
worship,  which,  in  the  place  of  those  deities  who  are  conceived 
by  the  understanding,  have  substituted  the  meanest  and  most 
contemptible  slaves.  The  heads,  salted  and  pickled,  of  those 
infamous  malefactors  who,  for  the  multitude  of  their  crimes, 
have  suffered  a  just  and  ignominious  death,"  &c,  "  are  the  gods 
which  the  earth  produces  in  our  days.1'  What  is  of  more  pain- 
ful concern  to  us  is  this  passage  in  Justin  Martyr  and  Minacius 
in  regard  to  the  dark  accusation  against  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians that,  in  their  secret  assemblies,  "  a  new-born  infant,  en- 
tirely covered  over  with  flour,  was  presented,  like  some  mystic 
symbol  of  initiation,  to  the  knife  of  the  proselyte,  who,  un- 
knowingly, inflicted  many  a  secret  and  mortal  wound  on  the 
innocent  victim  of  his  error ;  that,  as  soon  as  the  cruel  deed 
was  perpetrated,  the  sectaries  drank  up  the  blood,  greedily  tore 
asunder  the  quivering  members,  and  pledged  themselves  to 
eternal  secrecy  by  a  mutual  consciousness  of  guilt."  Need  we 
look  anywhere  else  for  the  origin  of  that  spectral  blood-accusa- 
tion which  for  centuries  has  brought  untold  woe  on  the  Jewish 
head  ? 25     The  worship  of  dead  bodies  by  the  church  justified, 

25  We  are  living  in  the  year  of  ^raee  1890,  and  have  the  grim  satisfac- 
tion of  reading  the  following  lines  of  Pope  Leo  XIII.,  addressed  by  his  sec- 
retary of  state,  Cardinal  Rampollo,  to  the  author  of  "  La  mystere  du  sang 
chez  les  Juifs,"  an  insane  rehash  of  the  infernal  blood  calumny:  "His 
Holiness,  the  Pope,  was  highly  pleased  with  the  dedication  of  that  book, 
and  he  has  charged  me  to  thank  you  and  to  inform  you  that  he  bestows 
on  you  his  apostolic  blessing,  fur  he  fully  agrees  with  your  work  about  the 
infamous  custom  of  the  Rabbinical  Jews."*  It  is  entirely  too  late  in  the 
*  The  Pope  has  since  officially  denied  this  statement. 


116 

in  a  measure,  the  pagan's  suspicion  that  there  was  something 
wrong  about  the  secret  service  of  the  primitive  Christian ;  but 
what,  save  madness,  can  justify  the  black  calumny  that  Jews 
were  using1  Christian  blood  for  their  unleavened  bread  when 
the  use  of  any  blood  is  strictly  forbidden  by  the  Divine  Law  ? 
But  this  is  a  question  of  honesty  or  villainy. 

However,  be  this  as  it  may,  the  deeper  we  look  into  the 
question  the  clearer  grows  the  immense  distance,  the  untrav- 
ersable  chasm,  that  divides  orthodox  Christianity  from  Mono- 
theistic Judaism.  For  hundreds  of  years  there  have  been, 
and  there  never  ceased  to  be,  bitter  contentions  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Church  as  to  the  nature  of  its  founder  and  his  doctrines. 
The  momentous  questions  involved  are  nothing  less  than  the 
incarnation  of  Jesus,  the  virginity  of  his  mother,  his  lineal  de- 
scent from  David,  and  his  relation  to  his  God-Father.  The 
Ebionites  and  the  Nazarenes,  who  were  the  original  Jewish 
Christians,  derived  little  profit  from  their  having  been  bred 
and  taught  on  the  spot,  environed  by  the  scenes  where  the 
Messiah  was  said  to  have  opened  and  ended  his  career.  Theirs 
was  the  assertion  that  Jesus  was  born,  like  other  sons  of  the 
dust,  with  a  mission  like  that  of  other  prophets,  a  conception 
that  barred  their  way  to  the  fold  of  the  then  growing  larger, 
and  thus  growing  bolder,  but  very  much  heathenized  Church. 
A  Jesus  born  in  the  ordinary  way  was  not  to  the  taste  of  the 
wonder-doing  bishops  of  heathen  origin.  The  difficulty  in 
their  way  was  a  gospel  in  Hebrew,  which  the  Ebionites  pos- 
sessed, and  wherein  the  first  two  chapters  of  St.  Matthew's 

day  to  advance  a  slander  which  has  time  and  again  been  refuted  and 
branded  as  a  lie,  not  alone  by  Catholic  historians  like  Basnage,  learned 
bishops  like  Kopp  of  Fulda  and  Reinkens  of  Bonn,  but  also  by  two  popes, 
who  are  known  to  have  issued  "bulls"  against  that  black  falsehood,  Pope 
Innocent  IV.  and  Pope  Sixtus  V.  On  reading  such  an  endorsement 
from  such  an  authority  in  an  age  like  this  it  is  impossible  not  to  think 
of  the  fool  who,  having  tied  one  end  of  a  rope  round  his  own  neck,  tied 
the  other  end  to  the  spoke  of  a  flying  wheel,  turning  on  steam  to  make 
it  go.  What  followed  need  not  be  stated.  There  must  be  some  mad 
dogs  about  the  Vatican,  and  the  sooner  they  are  muzzled  the  better  for 
his  declining  "infallible"  Holiness.  We  thank  the  Lord  Almighty  for 
being  Jews,  and  thank  Him  equally  that  at  least  the  half  of  Christen- 
dom are  not  Catholics. 


117 

gospel  in  Greek,26  telling  of  the  immaculate  conception,  had 
no  place.  This  difficulty  was  eventually  surmounted  by  the 
mysterious  disappearance  of  the  gospel  in  Hebrew,  so  that  a 
translation  thereof  by  some  unknown  person,  made  to  fit  the 
demands  of  the  new  theory,  is  the  only  one  we  possess  down 
to  this  day.  Thus  did  the  supernatural  Jesus  triumph  over  all 
obstacles,  and,  by  a  wonderful  combination,  was  enthroned  as 
the  only  "  Son  of  God.1'  He  was,  it  is  true,  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Mary,  the  lineal  descendant  of  David,  but  begotten  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Joseph,  being  suspicious  of  the  miraculous  con- 
ception, was  quieted  by  a  divine  vision  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  frankly  claimed  the  paternity  of  the  infant  god.  So 
everything  passed  off  smoothly  enough,  except  the  diverg- 
ence of  view  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Ghost  had  inter- 
course with  Mary,  and  the  way  in  which  Jesus  came  to  life. 
This  turned  up  a  new  and  very  serious  problem.  Enlightened 
proselytes  of  pagan  quarters  accepted  the  divinity,  but  denied 
the  humanity  of  Jesus,  thus  rejecting  that  part  of  the  gospel 
as  false  which  tells  of  the  immaculate  conception.  Deeming 
it  a  degradation  of  the  Divine  Spirit  and  His  "  God-Son  "  to 
have  passed  through  the  body  of  a  woman,  they  invented  a 
new  fiction.  Like  Adam,  Jesus  appeared  in  the  shape  of 
perfectly-developed  manhood  ;  a  purely  spiritual  figure,  en- 
dowed with  the  faculties  and  powers  of  a  man — visible,  but  not 

26  St.  Matthew  composed  the  gospel  in  Hebrew,  the  church  fathers  as- 
sure us,  but  later  church  policy  required  its  disappearance.  No  less  an 
authority  than  F.  C.  Baur  finds,  on  examining  and  comparing  the  gos- 
pels, that  they  have  been  all  tampered  with  by  the  primitive  church, 
there  having  been  a  cycle  of  traditions  before  any  gospel  was  known  or 
heard  of.  Then  there  was  the  Hebrew  gospel — that  of  St.  Peter,  of  the 
pjbionites,  of  the  Egyptians,  and  of  St.  Luke ;  while  that  of  St.  Mark  he 
recognizes  to  be  entirely  one  not  of  revelation  but  of  adaptation  to  the 
new  conditions  of  the  Church.  Jewish  and  Gentile  Christians,  Baur 
shows,  endeavored  to  fit  their  gospels  to  suit  their  differences  of  views, 
so  that  the  German  theologian  and  philosopher  reaches  the  conclusion 
that,  the  safest  basis  of  Christianity  must  not  be  looked  for  in  the  gospels 
but  in  the  four  Pauline  epistles.  This  is,  however,  more  than  Strauss 
would  concede,  who,  in  his  "  Leben  Jesu,"  reduces  all  the  gospel  tales 
to  myth,  and  allows  Jesus  to  evaporate  in  an  "idea  of  the  identity  of 
God  and  man  and  the  mission  of  humanitv." 


118 

tangible.  This  phantom  "  Son  of  God  "  the  Jews  crucified — 
imagined  to  crucify — so  that  the  whole  drama  of  the  crucifixion, 
the  resurrection,  and  the  ascension  was,  in  reality,  a  comedy 
played  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  When  it  was  urged  that 
such  a  play  was  unworthy  of  God  and  "  His  Son,"  the  learned 
Gnostics  were  not  at  all  at  a  loss  to  point  to  a  multitude  of 
other  "  pious  frauds  "  sanctioned  by  the  saintly  fathers  of  the 
Church,  they  being  justified  by  the  holy  ends  in  view.  They 
would  not  admit  that  the  god  of  the  Christians  had  to  pass 
through  the  mortal  process  of  conception — embryo,  growth, 
birth,  and  death ;  and  an  agreement  was  finally  reached  that 
"  the  Divinity  passed  through  Mary  like  a  sunbeam  through  a 
plate  of  glass."  To  strengthen  this  logical  basis  of  a  hence- 
forth impregnable  faith  it  was  further  compromised  that  Jesus 
was  something  more  than  a  phantom,  having  been  gifted  with 
an  impassable,  incorruptible  body.  This  wise  agreement,  how- 
ever, was  anything  but  final,  for  the  doctrine  of  Arius,  that 
the  "  God-Son  "  was  subordinate  to  his  God-Father,  was  sol- 
emnly condemned  by  the  council  of  Nice,  A.  C.  E.  325,  when 
it  was  decreed  that  Jesus  was  "  very  god  of  the  very  God,"  lie- 
gotten,  not  made,  of  one  substance  with  his  Father. 

We  humbly  ask :  Of  what  substance  were  the  brothers  of 
Jesus  made — Jude,  Simon,  and  James  ?  But  the  thing  is  en- 
tirely too  Christian  to  be  understood  or  fathomed  by  a  Jewish 
mind.  We  give  it  up,  satisfied  with  the  matter  as  it  stands ; 
our  object  being  to  furnish  a  few  facts,  drawn  from  non-Jewish 
sources,  as  to  Why  the  Jar*  obstinately  'persisted,  eind  still  do 
persist,  in  being  Jews.  "  Only  this,  and  nothing  more."  "We 
shall  conclude  this  chapter,"  says  the  author  of  the  "  Decline 
and  Fall,"  "by  a  melancholy  truth  which  obtrudes  itself  on  the 
reluctant  mind  ;  that  even  admitting,  without  hesitation  or  in- 
quiry, all  that  history  has  recorded,  or  devotion  has  feigned, 
on  the  subject  of  martyrdom,  it  must  still  be  acknowledged 
that  the  Christians,  in  the  course  of  their  intestine  dissensions, 
have  inflicted  far  greater  severities  on  each  other  than  they 
had  experienced  from  the  hand  of  the  infidels.  During  the 
ages  of  ignorance  that  followed  the  subversion  of  the  Roman 
empire  in  the  West  the  bishops  of  the  Imperial  city  extended 


119 

their  dominion  over  the  laity  as  well  as  clergy  of  the  Latin 
Church.  The  fabric  of  superstition  which  they  had  erected, 
and  which  might  long  have  defied  the  feeble  efforts  of  reason, 
was  at  length  assaulted  by  a  crowd  of  daring  fanatics,  who, 
from  the  twelfth  to  the  sixteenth  century,  assumed  the  popular 
character  of  reformers.  The  church  of  Rome  defended  by 
violence  the  empire  which  she  had  acquired  by  fraud ;  a 
system  of  peace  and  benevolence  was  soon  disgraced  by  pro- 
scriptions, war,  massacres,  and  the  institution  of  the  holy 
office."  Knowing  all  this,  and  more,  why  should  the  Jew  be 
a  Christian  ? 

There  must  be  something  unsound,  unhealthy  in  a  "  system 
of  peace  and  benevolence  "  which,  for  almost  two  millenniums, 
caused  rivers  of  human  blood  to  flow.  Every  promise  made 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  stands  unfulfilled.27  Where  is  the 
millennium,  the  "  peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to  men  ? " 
Where  the  love  of  the  enemy  %  Where  the  least  realization  of 
those  extravagant  doctrines  proclaimed  in  his  name  ?     Let  the 


27  D.  F.  Strauss,  whose  "Life  of  Jesus"  left  Christianity  much  in  the 
possession  of  a  "chateau  en  Espagne,"  pertinently  urges  that  Jesus  him- 
self spoke  „  bon  ber  2lnfunft  be§  9J}enfdjmfofyne§,  b.  I}.,  Hon  feiner  eigenen 
mefficmifdjen  SBieberhmft  in  einer  ftoateren,  obit>oty[  nicfyt  fcrncn  3eit,  too  er  in 
ben  3Bol!en  be§  £>immelv3,  in  gottlicfycr  §errHd?feit,  unb  toon  ©ngetn  begleitet, 
erfcfyeinen  ioerbe,  bie  STobten  311  eritoeden,  Sebenbe  unb  Serftorbene  ju  ricfyten, 
unb  fein  Sieid;,  ba§  ©otte^  unb  ^immetreid),  ju  erbffnen.— 2tn  biefe§  (Stud 
ber  Sefyre  3efu  in  todrtlidjer  2luffaffung  Inert  fid;  bie  artere  Sircfie,  ja  fie  ift 
eigenttid)  auf  biefem  ©runbe  aufgebaut,  inbent  ofyne  bie  Grir-artung  ber 
toaljren  JBteberfunft  ©§rtftt  gar  feine  cfyriftlidje  lird^e  su  ©tan  = 
be  gefommen  ttoare."  Strauss  does  not  hesitate  to  affirm  that  „§at  er  e3 
glcic^too^I  ram  fid)  toorfyergefagt  unb  felbft  ertoartet,  fo  ift  er  fiir  un§  ein 
©dnoarmer,  tone  er,  menu  er  e§  ofme  eigene  tteberjeugnng  bon  fid;  auSgefagt 
fycttte,  ein  ^rafyler  unb  33etriiger  toare."  Strauss  brings  a  good  deal  of 
sophistical  ingenuity  to  bear  on  the  subject,  but  he  succeeds  not  in 
extricating  his  mythical  hero  from  the  contradictions  of  his  own  prom- 
ises; and  as  Jesus  never  returned  "among  the  clouds  of  heaven,  in 
divine  glory,  and  followed  by  angelic  legions,  to  awaken  the  dead,  judge 
them  and  the  living,  and  open  the  heavenly  kingdom,"  and  as  this 
promise  is  "  in  fact  the  ground  on  which  the  ancient  church  was 
founded,  an  expectation  without  which  there  had  never  been  a  church 
of  Christ,"  so  must  we  not  be  blamed  for  holding  that  the  whole  fabric 
is  one  of  fiction. 


120 

streams  of  Jewish  blood  shed,  the  hatred  of  sect  by  sect,  race 
by  race,  the  division  of  families,  engendered  by  the  merciful, 
meek  Church  ;  let  the  gigantic  armies,  the  pitched  battles,  the 
new  engines  of  destruction,  the  steel-stocked  arsenals,  the  steel- 
clad  navies,  bear  witness  to  the  rule  of  the  "  prince  of  peace." 
But  repetition  makes  this  a  threadbare  topic.  Time  has  done 
more  than  criticism,  and  the  Church  has  done  the  most  to  un- 
dermine her  own  foundation.  Her  strongholds  long  thought 
impregnable  have  been  irreparably  damaged  and  broken  into 
by  such  as  knew  her  best,  and  the  breach  widens  as  the  years 
advance.  At  this  moment  there  are  more  Christian  antago- 
nistic sects  than  articles  of  faith,  beginning  with  irreconcilable, 
hard-shell  Catholicism  and  culminating  in  versatile  quasi-Mono- 
theistic Unitarianism.  With  these  changes  in  progress  and 
the  implied  league  science  made  with  philosophy  against  the 
unsnstained  pretensions  of  the  orthodox  Church,  der  eivige 
Jude  can  afford  to  hold  his  ground  and  wait  for  further  devel- 
opments. Having  systematically  belied  its  promises  for  cen- 
turies past,  Muscovite  and  Ottoman  diplomacy  labors  under 
the  disadvantage  of  general  suspicion  and  distrust.  The 
world  has  learned  the  meaning  of  the  Messianic  message, 
translated  into  sixty  generations  of  hatred,  slaughter,  tears, 
and  outrage  ;  it  is  wiser  now  than  ever  before,  at  least  wher- 
ever man  is  allowed  to  speak  freely  to  his  fellows.  Christian 
barbarism,  it  is  true,  is  still  setting  monuments  to  its  Chmel- 
nickis,  still  beatifying  its  Torquemadas,  but  Christian  human- 
ity is  gratefully  remembering  its  Spinozas,  Brunos,  and  Arian 
heroes.  Judaism  is  proud  to  call  liberal  Christianity  its  legiti- 
mate daughter,  but  disclaims  its  maternal  features  in  the  sullen, 
misanthropic  Church.  Thought  is  free  at  last;  the  birthright 
of  man  is  being  heroically  reclaimed.  May  not  this  dawn, 
breaking  on  the  horizon,  be  taken  as  a  luminous  harbinger  of 
the  true,  ideal  Messianic  era  %  O,  that  frightful  spectre  in  the 
shape  of  a  black  monk,  may  its  shadows  never  again  darken  the 
sight  and  poison  the  sweet  milk  of  human  love  and  kindness  ! 
What  is  the  nature  of  Israel's  Messianic  Ideal  ?  It  is  im- 
portant for  us  to  understand  the  time  and  the  spirit  in  which 
Isaiah  uttered  that  famous  Messianic  prophecy,  followed  by 


121 

many  other  prophecies,  the  fulfillment  of  which  the  orthodox 
Christian  claims  to  recognize  in  the  founder  and  history  of 
the  Church.  That  prophet  lived  in  one  of  the  most  stirring 
periods  in  Israel's  history,  and  had  seen  Shalmanezer  over- 
throw the  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  and  carry  them  into 
captivity.  But  while  Samaria,  after  an  heroic  resistance  of 
three  years,  fell,  the  kingdom  of  Judah  was  greatly  strength- 
ened by  its  noble  monarch,  Hezekiah,  a  scion  of  the  Davidic 
dynasty,  whose  most  intimate  and  loyal  adviser  was  Isaiah, 
great  as  statesman  and  prophetic  orator.  He  it  was  who  pre- 
dicted the  doom  of  Sennacherib,  whose  immense  host  was  smit- 
ten with  the  plague  under  the  walls  of  Zion.  It  was  evident, 
however,  that  the  small  Judean  kingdom  could  not  long  with- 
stand the  overwhelming  power  of  the  heathen,  unless  a  re- 
deemer of  more  than  human  endowments  would  rise  from  the 
stock  of  that  glorious  dynasty,  under  whose  first  two  rulers 
Israel  had  seen  his  brightest  days.  For  who  could  forget  that 
the  hateful,  ever-lurking  Philistines,  now  once  more  raising 
their  heads  in  defiance,  had  been  completely  defeated  by  the 
immortal  David  ?  And  was  not  the  Solomonic  rule  the  most 
brilliant,  peaceful,  and  prosperous  \  Was  Solomon  not  famed 
as  the  wisest  of  kings,  whose  wisdom  legendary  tales  magni- 
fied ?  Were  not  the  gorgeous  temples  and  pompous  palaces 
there  to  remind  the  people  of  the  golden  age  when  Oriental 
glitter,  wealth,  and  plenty  dazzled  the  multitude  \  There  was 
no  war  in  the  times  of  Solomon.  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre,  sup- 
plied materials  and  skillful  workmen  to  build  the  Temple ;  the 
queen  of  Sheba  journeyed  to  Jerusalem  with  a  caravan  laden 
with  jewels  and  spices,  and,  having  all  her  riddles  solved  by 
her  royal  host,  she  admitted  that  he  was  far  wiser  than  fame 
made  him.  A  fleet  brought  gold  and  other  treasures  from  re- 
mote quarters.  It  was  impossible  not  to  look  back  with  long- 
ing on  a  time  so  prosperous,  peaceful,  and  glorious.  And 
when  the  prophetic  genius  took  celestial  fire  and  a  noble  fig- 
ure of  a  spiritual  nature  was  to  rise  vaguely  from  the  dimness 
of  futurity,  it  naturally  assumed  the  shape  of  an  idealized 
Solomon  destined  to  initiate  an  era  yet  more  prosperous  and 
peaceful  than  the  bygone.     Recall  to  memory  the  dream  of 


122 

young  Solomon,  who,  given  wealth  and  wisdom  to  choose  from, 
prefers  "  an  understanding  heart ; "  think  of  the  decision  which 
frustrates  the  malice  of  an  envious  female,  who  would  have 
the  child  of  another  one  cut  in  twain ;  then  reflect  on  the  gems 
of  ethical  and  philosophical  meditation,  which  at  that  time  were 
already  current  in  every  Jewish  household ;  and  you  have  the 
noble,  royal  picture  of  the  prophet's  promised  Messiah.  "And 
there  shall  come  forth  a  shoot  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse,  and  a 
sprout  shall  spring  out  of  his  root ;  and  there  shall  rest  upon 
him  the  spirit  of  the  Lord,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  under- 
standing, the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowl- 
edge and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord. — And  not  after  the  sight  of 
his  eyes  shall  he  judge,  and  not  after  the  hearing  of  his  ears 
shall  he  decide."  His  qualities  are  to  be  righteousness  and 
equity ;  he  will  protect  the  poor  and  the  suffering ;  he  "  shall 
smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of  his  mouth,"  and  the  peace  of 
earth  will  extend  to  the  animal  kingdom,  that  "  shall  not  hurt 
nor  destroy  on  all  My  holy  mountain  ;  for  the  earth  shall  be 
full  of  the  know  ledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea." 

His  mission  is  strictly  defined :  "  He  will  set  up  an  ensign 
unto  the  nations,  and  will  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel ; 
and  the  dispersed  of  Judah  will  he  collect  together  from  the 
four  corners  of  the  earth." — "  Ephraim  shall  not  envy  Judah, 
and  Judah  shall  not  assail  Ephraim." — "  To  him  shall  nations 
come  to  inquire ;  and  his  resting  place  shall  be  glorious,"  &c. 
Here  is  a  translucent,  beatified  Solomon  and  his  peaceful  king- 
dom poetically  painted.  Ephraim  and  Judah  are  to  be  mainly 
benefited  by  the  Messiah  ;  the  scattered  gathered  "  together 
from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth."  And  is  Jesus,  with  the 
dark  era  he  initiated,  to  be  accepted  as  the  archetype  of  that 
sublime  picture  ?  Absurdity  !  Say,  white  is  black.  Ah,  mill- 
ions of  humanity  are  deluded. 

Several  remarks  in  Talmudical  lore  indicate  the  same  Jewish 
view  on  the  Messiah  and  his  golden  times.  If  a  personal 
Messiah  was  really  expected  by  the  Jews,  would  a  learned 
doctor  ask:   "Whether  Cyrus  was  not  Messiah?"28    Would 

?rrn  myo  cno  \di  -* 


123 

another  maintain :  "  There  is  no  Messiah  for  Israel  ? " 29  Would 
a  third  say  :  "  Jerusalem  will  be  redeemed  by  righteousness  ? " 30 
Would  the  prophet  Isaiah  himself  call  the  pagan  Cyrus  "  the 
Messiah  of  the  Lord  % "  The  masses  are  always  inclined  to 
take  prophecies  literally;  the  wise  never.  So  it  is  with  the 
allegory  of  hell,  so  with  that  of  the  Messiah.  Great  lights  in 
Israel  discard  the  literal  meaning  of  a  personal  Messiah,  sub- 
stituting therefor  a  cycle  of  universal  enlightenment  and  peace. 
It  is  not  to  be  a  Saturnian  age  of  physical  delights  and  plenti- 
ful harvests  only,  but  one  spiritualized  by  the  supernal  felicity 
derived  from  a  full  knowledge  and  worship  of  The  Only  God. 
Accustomed  to  see  the  prophet's  vision  realized,  the  Messianic 
dream  is  thenceforth  foremost  in  the  Jewish  mind,  and  the 
darker  the  times,  the  deeper  the  sufferings,  the  keener  the  hopes 
that  the  Utopian  era  is  at  hand.  AVith  all  this  realistic  Israel 
has  never  for  any  length  of  time  been  deceived  by  a  fraudu- 
lent Messiah.  Frequently  as  such  impostors  came  to  light  they 
seldom  created  more  than  a  passing  ripple  on  the  serene  surface 
of  Jewish  realism.  There  was  a  critical  sanity  in  the  nature 
of  our  early  sires,  which  their  latest  descendants  never  belied. 
It  is  this  mental  sanity  which  baffles  all  snares  of  the  hypocrit- 
ical conversionist.  Unless  lured  by  menial  temptation,  even  the 
most  illiterate  Jew  would  not  turn  a  Christian.  Whatever  the 
shortcomings  and  aberrations  of  the  Jew — and  they  are  neither 
slight  nor  few — you  will  look  in  vain  for  him  in  the  "  para- 
dise of  fools."  His  dream  of  the  Messianic  Utopia  has  a  defi- 
nite meaning ;  has,  indeed,  been  defined  beyond  all  doubt. 
Traditional  literature  teems  with  allusions  to  the  rvsyon  niD1 
"  Messianic  times,"  but  it  is  a  dream  with  a  tangible  reality  at 
the  bottom  of  it.  No  less  an  authority  than  the  philosophical 
Maimonides  furnishes  the  definition  of  it.  He  sees  in  the  prom- 
ised Messiah  a  heaven-commissioned  personality,  a  prophet 
sent  to  teach  the  world — the  Gentile  and  the  Islamite — to  wor- 
ship The  One  Eternal.31  "  They  who  said  that  the  command- 
ments have  been  long  abrogated  and  neglected  for  ages ;  and 
such  as  maintained  that  they  were  all  allegorical  and  that  the 

.np-wn  *6x  maj  d,l,^i-t  px 3°     hxrwh  rrtra  px Qa 
.-trm  n  nx  iizn;1?  iSd  D^u'n  nx  prv  rvtPDn 31 


124 

Messiah  had  come  already ;  no  sooner  will  the  Messiah  rise 
flourishing,  exalted,  and  glorious,  than  they  shall  all  be  con- 
vinced that  they  inherited  error  from  their  ancestry,  and  that 
their  parents  and  prophets  deceived  them."32  Again:  "Let 
not  the  idea  take  hold  of  thee,  that  in  the  Messianic  times 
there  will  be  radical  changes  in  the  rules  of  the  world,  or  in 
the  works  of  creation,  but  things  will  be  as  they  are.  As  to 
Isaiah's  prophecy  of  the  wolf  and  lamb,  the  leopard  and 
kid  lying  together,  it  is  all  metaphor  and  allegory,  signify- 
ing that  Israel  will  dwell  in  peace  with  the  world's  peacebreak- 
ers,  who  act  like  the  wolf  and  the  leopard.  Therefore  did  our 
sages  say,  that  the  difference  between  these  and  the  Messianic 
times  will  be  a  change  in  the  relations  of  the  nations  to  their 
governments.  In  those  days  there  will  be  neither  famine,  nor 
war,  nor  envy,  nor  competition ;  for  nature  will  produce  fruit 
as  plentiful  as  dust,  and  mankind  will  love  no  other  vocation 
save  that  of  understanding  God.  Therefore  will  the  wise  be 
great,  looking  into  the  mystery  of  things,  and  realizing  the 
wisdom  of  their  Creator  as  far  as  man  may." 33 

From  these  passages,  as  well  as  from  earlier  Pharisaic  say- 
ings, it  follows  that  centuries  of  meditative  speculation  have 
taught  the  wisest  in  Israel  to  wait  for  the  redemption  of  man- 
kind by  mankind,  initiated,  peradventure,  by  some  sky-enlight- 
ened genius,  but  always  left  to  work  out  its  own  destiny. 
Greater  knowledge  of  nature's  secrets  will  cause  her  to  yield 
abundantly,  and  abundance  will  enable  man  to  devote  his  time 
to  ideal  pursuits.  Thus  will  knowledge  of  God  grow  and  spread 
as  the  wave  of  the  sea,  knowledge  of  the  Most  High  being  to 
the  Jewish  mind  synonymous  with  virtue,  love  of  man,  of  truth, 
and  of  peace  ;  a  Utopian  vision,  an  ideal  for  humanity  to  attain 
to.  In  this  particular  the  Zohar,  this  Bible  or  gospel  of  the 
Kabbalists,  is,  as  in  many  other  vital  points,  at  variance  with 
realistic  Judaism,  some  of  its  paragraphs  distinctly  referring  to 
a  personal  Messiah,  who  "  invokes  all  the  sufferings,  pain,  and 


orrm:jNi  Drvxojtm  Drrniim  lbru  ip^  p;nvi  pm  zhj  on  to32 
njn  irtsn  D'Dinon  D'-tm  D\nn  d'Shj  D'ODnn  rrr  -p^i33     .mjrnn 


.DISH    B3   'DD    DNTa 


125 

afflictions  of  Israel  to  come  upon  him ;"  "  who  shall  in  Para- 
dise instruct  the  babes  who  died  in  early  infancy."     But  these 
are  the  fancies  of  a  mystic,  to  be  discussed  elsewhere.     Our 
Messianic  dream  centres  not  in  a  person  supernaturally  en- 
dowed, but  in  the  ideal  triumph  of  the  divinity  in  man's  soul, 
over  his  animal  proclivities.      As  past  achievements  in  the 
provinces  of  the  fine  arts,  the  sciences,  and  in  general  culture 
and  refinement  have  back  of  them  no  greater  miracle  than  the 
heroic  endeavors  of  the  human  genius,  so  must  all  salvation  in 
the  future  spring  from  the  divinest  qualities  of    humanity. 
Every  man  must  be  his  own  Messiah,  and  every  humane  worker 
is,  in  a  sense,  a  redeemer.     Judaism  has  long  ago  rejected  the 
idea  that  man  is  an  orphaned  child,  an  accidental  combination 
of  cosmic  dust,  hopelessly  cast  into  infinity  to  be  born,  live,  and 
die  in  pain.     Nor  does  it  countenance  the  preposterous  notion 
that  man  is  born  depraved.    No ;  he  is  born  frail,  but  his  very 
frailty  is  to  be  the  source  of  his  greatness,  for  he  has  freedom 
to  rise  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest.     He  was  not  made  for 
the  universe,  but  the  universe  was  made  for  him  ;  for  his  rise, 
progress,  elevation,  and  spiritualization.     The  quintessence  of 
the  finest  elements  below ;  fire,  ether,  and  spirit  from  above 
all  converge  in  the  Godlikeness  of  his  soul,  centering  therein 
and  radiating  therefrom  to  infinite  heights.     The  relation  of 
The  Universal  Spirit  to  the  human  mind  is  not  less  evident 
than  the  relation  of  the  sun  to  this  globe.    Earth  and  heavens, 
the  stars,  the  seas,  and  the  continents  are  all  for  man's  edu- 
cation.    Doubt  not  the  divinity  of  your  soul,  the  power  to 
take  care  of    self.      Had  you  not  the  supernal  qualities  of 
thought,  progress,  and  free  action,  you  could  not  control  a 
world  which  has  a  thousandfold  agents  to  destroy  you ;  you 
could  not  subdue  and  utilize    the  elements;    you  could   not 
venture  out  on  the  ocean's  treacherous  deep ;  you  could  not 
breathe  life-like  beauty  on  canvas ;  nor  turn  rocks  into  noble 
monuments  of  taste  and  symmetry ;  nor  work  in  metal  as  in 
clay ;  nor  bend  nature's  obstinate  neck  under  the  yoke  of  your 
genius ;  you  could  not  seriously  entertain  the  dream  of  im- 
mortality ;  you  would  not  be  the  noblest,  most  potent  being 
under  the  sun.     Man  is  the  result,  the  crown,  the  finishing 


126 

touch  of  creation,  and  embodies  in  him  all  the  essences  which 
bade  the  universe  be  and  move. 

But  man  fell,  lost  Eden,  tasted  of  the  fruit  of  knowledge,  _ 
lost  all  hope  of  self -redemption,  and,  but  for  the  merciful 
"  vicarious  sacrifice,"  would  go  down  to  eternal  perdition,  says 
the  orthodox  Church.  Poor  salvation  policy  this,  ascribed 
to  a  loving,  just  Creator,  who  made  man  frail,  allowed  the 
devil  to  tempt  him  through  his  gentle  wife,  so  that  he  might 
surely  fall,  so  that  he  might  be  condemned,  in  order  that 
"  God's  Son "  or  God  Himself  might  be  crucified  to  redeem 
him.  Blasphemous  doctrine  !  God  is  All- Wise,  All-Merci- 
ful, All-Knowing.  He  made  humanity  weak,  so  that  by  its 
own  will-power  and  endeavor  it  might  rise  to  self-conquered  . 
sovereignty.  We  repeat,  it  is  from  man's  weakness,  that  his 
strength  and  glory  spring.  Let  none  think  lightly  of  the  race, 
its  past  victories,  its  present  greatness,  and  its  future  possibili- 
ties. Who  may  tell  how  far,  how  high,  its  longing,  daring, 
restless  spirit  may  yet  lift  it  ?  Think  not,  at  this  moment,  of 
human  frailty,  but  pass  in  review  the  cycles  bygone;  think  of 
him,  who,  springing  from  the  double  mystery  of  Time  and 
Space,  less  armed  than  the  brute,  with  darkness  behind  and 
darkness  before  him,  at  war  with  the  elements  and  the  beast, 
succeeded  in  stamping  his  seal  on  the  face  of  a  world,  and, 
after  a  struggle  of  ages  unnumbered,  stands,  mightier  than 
ever,  his  foot  firmly  planted  on  earth,  his  eye  piercing  the 
gulfs  of  heaven,  armed,  like  the  Grecian  chief-god,  with  thun- 
der and  lightning,  and  meditating  war  on  death  himself. 
Surely,  we  are  a  great,  God-like  species  of  beings,  whom 
angels  may  envy,  and  it  lies  in  our  power  to  turn  this  planet 
into  an  ideal,  heavenly  kingdom. 

Surveying  the  changes  which  have  of  late  markedly  modi- 
fied the  relation  of  man  to  man,  we  are  encouraged  to  enter- 
tain the  hope  that  our  Messianic  dream  is  nearing  realization. 
Vast,  dreary  regions  there  are  where  the  wolf  is  still  feeding 
on  the  lamb,  the  leopard  still  devouring  the  kid;  but  the 
growing  knowledge  of  God  has,  withal,  dispersed  many  a 
thunder-cloud,  laid  bare  many  a  barren  land  to  the  fertilizing 
influence  of  the  sunny  beam.     Is  not  Spain  ashamed  of  her 


127 

past  %  Is  not  Rome  befriending  the  martyred  race  ?  Sits  not 
a  Jew  in  the  House  of  Lords  ?  Has  not  another  one  been  in- 
stalled, and  this  a  third  time,  as  the  Lord  Mayor  of  the  greatest 
city  on  earth  ?  Was  not  a  Jew's  free  gift  among  those  of  the 
Pope's  jubilee  ?  These  are  blessed  signs  of  the  times.  May 
our  prophet's  sweetest  vision  be  verified.  Israel's  particular- 
ism is  not  one  of  exclusiveness,  but  of  spiritual  conquest.  His 
Sinaitic  magna  charta  once  promulgated,  he  lives  true  to  his 
pledge,  unshaken  in  his  resolve  to  make  Jehovah's  banner  the 
ensign  of  the  race.  Nor  will  he  rest  nor  yield  until  "  those  who 
flock  toward  the  Mount  Zion  shall  judge  the  Mount  Esau," 
*  *  *  "  on  which  day  The  Lord  will  be  One  and  His  Name 
One  ! " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OUR  MYSTIC   VISION. 

Mysticism  means  deep  thinking  and  deeper  feeling  ;  it  is  a 
conscious  admission  that  human  reason  reveals  not  enough  of 
God  to  the  soul  to  appease  her  deepest,  often  indefinable  long- 
ings. Reason  ceases  with  definition.  Who  and  where  is  God  ? 
What  are  His  attributes  ?  What  is  infinity,  eternity,  law,  mat- 
ter, spirit,  being  %  Can  reason  define  them  ?  If  she  cannot, 
she  must,  and  actually  does,  resort  to  a  power  of  a  finer  spiritual 
insight  and  penetration,  which  is  known  as  intuition  ;  a  power 
which  teaches  the  heart  to  feel  logically  and  the  mind  to  think 
dreamingly.  Revelation  and  Prophecy  gave  Judaism  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  mystic  realism,  or,  as  the  moderns  call  it,  a  phil- 
osophical transcendentalism.  Yet  was  there  a  period  in  our 
history  when,  dissatisfied  with  things  visible,  subject  to  the 
worst  of  social  conditions  humanity  is  capable  of  enduring,  the 
Jewish  mind,  inexhaustible  in  varying  aspects  of  the  spiritual, 
evolved  a  system  of  mystic  dreams  which,  disowned  by  sane 
Jewish  philosophy,  and  decried  by  many  critics  as  methodized 
insanity,  is  yet  a  phenomenon  not  unworthy  of  a  fair  notice. 
There  is  most  assuredly  method  in  the  madness  of  the  Kab- 
balist.  Nor  are  his  views  of  Creator  and  creations  entirely 
original.  Besides  the  Book  of  Creation,  or  Sefar  Yezirah,  a 
work  assumed  to  be  of  hoary  antiquity,  the  main  source  of 
this  Theosophy  is  the  Zohar.  a  Chaldaic  term  denoting  "  splen- 
dor," heavenly  light,  a  book  of  strange  revelations,  of  which 
Rabbi  Simeon  ben  Yochai  is  said  to  have  been  the  author  or 
compiler.  The  substance  of  this  mystic  text-book  was  long 
generally  accepted  by  Kabbalists  as  an  oral  revelation  deliv- 
ered by  God  to  Adam  while  in  Eden,  and  thence  it  passed, 
from  age  to  age,  down  to  its  compilation  in  its  present  form. 
Later  critics,  however,  undertook  to  disprove  its  antiquity,  and 

(129) 


130 

to  trace  it  to  an  author  of  a  comparatively  recent  date,  and 
their  efforts  were  crowned  with  success,  thus  divesting  the 
Zoliar  of  the  sanctimonious  halo  it  not  unnaturally  assumed. 

The  Zoliar  has  been  conclusively  proved  to  be  a  production 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  with  Moses  de  Leon  as  its  original 
author ;  a  theory  with  which  we  are  little  concerned,  consider- 
ing that  the  object  of  these  brief  notes  is  not  to  establish  date 
and  authorship,  but  to  convey  an  idea  of  that  strangest  of  the 
peculiar  productions  of  the  Jewish  mind.  Whosoever  the 
author,  he  was  a  Jew,  and  claims  our  attention,  whether  we 
agree  or  disagree.  We  may  find  fault  with  the  system  as  one 
irreconcilable  with  our  Monotheistic  ideal,  savoring  too  much 
of  the  trinitarian  salvation  scheme  to  be  congenial  to  Jewish 
intuition ;  subordinating  the  ethical  element  to  the  vaporous, 
imaginary,  philosophically  untenable ;  attempting  to  pass  off  a 
crazy  mosaic  made  up  of  a  little  of  everything,  borrowed 
everywhere,  of  everybody,  as  an  original  work.  Yet,  with  all 
deductions  and  allowances  made,  the  Zoliar  remains  a  literary 
curiosity  of  uncommon  interest.  Its  author  commands  con- 
siderable knowledge  of  ancient  Jewish  and  non-Jewish  phi- 
losophy ;  he  has  method,  and  a  remarkably  cunning  faculty  of 
assimilation,  while  his  imagination  would,  as  a  poet,  have 
secured  for  him  high  distinction.  These  qualities  he  wields 
with  consummate  ingenuity,  blending  them  into  a  hazy  whole 
sufficiently  coherent  and  systematic  to  deceive  the  novice,  but 
dissolving  under  the  magic  test  of  historical  analysis.  The 
author,  however,  enforces  respect  for  his  sincerity.  There  is 
dead  earnest  in  every  line.  Faith  is  in  his  work,  deep  and 
strong.  His  universe  teems  with  life  and  being,  visible  and 
invisible,  all  issuing  from  the  Infinite  Incomprehensible.  Here- 
in the  Zoliar  is  essentially  Jewish  ;  as  for  the  rest,  let  us  see. 

We  are  confronted  here  with  a  maze  of  thought,  fancy, 
conception,  truth,  fable,  and  fiction  unknown  in  the  annals  of 
philosophy.  The  nature  of  the  Divine,  Supremest  Being,  and 
of  all  being,  the  origin  and  object  of  all  creations,  are  therein 
accounted  for  with  a  conclusiveness  and  a  boldness  which 
rouse  astonishment.  Never  was  metaphysical  thought  uttered 
with  such  a  positive  precision  and  definiteness.    As  in  Genesis, 


131 

the  author  disdains  to  reason,  but  gives  facts  with  an  air  of 
unquestionable  authority,  and  his  votaries  accept  them  with 
unqualified  faith,  as  if  not  he  but  they  have  had  the  mystic 
revelation.  God,  the  Origin,  Substance,  and  Author  of  all 
things  seen  or  unseen,  is  here  denominated  The  Unbounded  or 
the  En-Soph,  having  neither  beginning  nor  end,  nor  dimen- 
sion, nor  form,  nor  attributes,  each  of  which  if  ascribed  to 
Him,  would  limit  His  infinity.  The  universe — which  neces- 
sarily has  bounds  somewhere — is  all  contained  in  Him,  not  He 
in  the  universe — which  is  a  Talmudical  idea.  Being  thus 
incomprehensible  to  finite  intellect,  in  order  to  be  known,  God 
manifests  Himself  in  what  is  visible  to  the  eye  and  compre- 
hensible to  the  mind.  But  such  manifestations  were  impos- 
sible without  certain  active  or  creative  principles  emanating 
from  The  Unbounded  or  En-Soph.  For  this  purpose  a  per- 
fect spiritual  being,  a  celestial  Adam,  of  whom  the  earthly 
one  is  a  gross  copy,  had  to  be  called  into  existence.  That 
supernal  power,  whom  Ezekiel  saw  in  vision  mounted  on  a 
chariot  of  fire,  was  thus  not  God  Himself,  but  a  perfect  per- 
sonification of  Him,  or,  to  give  it  the  trinitarian  name, "  His 
Son."  Milton  imparts  poetical  beauty  to  this  Kabbalistic 
fancy.  That  Shadow  of  God  or  Adam  being  the  centre  of  all 
creative  energy  or  potentiality,  is  the  prompting  focus,  as  it 
were,  from  whom  ten  active  Virtues  or  Emanations,  called 
Sephiroth,  radiate.  These  are  :  Crown,  Wisdom,  Intelligence, 
Beauty,  Love,  Justice,  Foundation,  Firmness,  Splendor,  and 
Kingdom.  The  Emanations  issue  from  the  several  mem- 
bers and  quarters  of  the  archetypal  heavenly  Adam,  and  we 
have  only  to  imagine  a  wise,  mighty  monarch,  crown  on  head, 
wisdom  written  on  his  face,  intelligence  speaking  from  his 
heart,  love  and  justice  practiced  by  his  hands,  a  vigorous 
progeny  issuing  from  his  loins,  the  splendor  and  firmness  of 
royal  manhood  visible  in  his  lordly  bearing,  powerful  limbs, 
finally,  a  kingdom  at  his  feet,  and  we  have  the  mortal  picture 
of  immortal,  creative  royalty.  Such  is  the  first  perfect  reflex 
of  The  Unbounded,  and  such  His  ten  creative  virtues.  With 
these  the  basis  for  the  origination  and  progression  of  the 
visible  and  invisible  universe  is  laid. 


132 

We  are  sorry  to  deny  originality  to  this  conception,  which 
is  scarcely  half  as  philosophical  and  ideal  as  the  Divine  Sophia 
of  the  Philonic,  and  the  ceons  of  the  Platonic  system,  of 
which  it  is  an  inferior  reflection.  What  the  Zohar  claims  for 
the  Sephiroth  the  Gnostics  many  centuries  before  ascribed  to 
the  ceons,  which  are  in  turn  an  improvement  on  the  Titans, 
who  sprang  from  Chaos  with  the  charge  of  building  the  upper 
and  the  nether  worlds.  The  vision  of  the  heavenly  Adam  is 
nothing  else  than  the  mythical  Minerva,  who  sprang  armed 
from  the  head  of  Jupiter.  Nor  does  the  resemblance  end 
here.  The  En-Soph  looks  not  unlike  Chronos,  with  incompre- 
hensible Fate  in  the  background.  Further  comparison  sug- 
gests the  probability — as  will  appear  later — of  this  mystic. 
Theosophy  being  a  melange  of  Hellenic  and  Hebraic  ideas  as 
welded  by  Philo. 

The  Monotheistic  Jew  of  ethical  realities  is  not  readily  open 
to  mvstic  extravagances  unless  lured  by  a  golden  promise  of 
some  new  spiritual  revelation.  When  the  Platonic  philoso- 
phers made  the  happy  effort  of  idealizing  Greek  polytheism, 
reducing  it  to  an  anthropomorphic  expression  of  the  infinite 
Logos,  Alexandrian  Judaism  realized  an  affinity  of  thought, 
and  the  result  was  that  wedding  and  welding  of  Hellenic  and 
Hebraic  ideas,  which  became  the  life-work  of  Philo  Judseus. 
Kabbalah,  we  venture  to  maintain,  is  nothing  else  than  an  un- 
fortunate dilution  of  Philo's  transcendental  Judaism.  Philo's 
God  is  naturally  a  most  absolute  transcendency,  His  universe 
originating  in  the  Divine  Sophia,  or  Wisdom.  One  must  be 
blind  not  to  perceive  in  these  two  fundamental  principles  of 
Philo's  philosophy  the  metamorphosed  ideas  of  the  En-Soph 
and  the  heavenly  Adam  with  his  several  ceons  or  Emanations. 
And  is  not  the  ethical  summary  of  Kabbalistic  self-denial 
and  resignation- — the  urn  Sitto — but  a  mystical  reflection  of 
Philo's  ethical  ideal  that  culminates  in  meditation,  renunciation, 
and  in  an  unconditional  surrender  of  self  to  The  Supremest 
Will  ?  Compatible  with  Greek  mythology  of  male  and  female 
deities,  is  also  the  mystic  realization  of  a  spiritual,  moral,  and 
material  world,  engendered  by  a  union  of  male  and  female 
Sephiroth,  as  Intelligence  and  Beauty,  Love  and  Justice,  Firm- 


133 

ness  and  Splendor,  with  the  all-embracing,  most  glorious 
Sephira,  Kingdom,  as  the  climax  and  sum  of  all  the  other  nine 
Emanations,  excelling  them  all  by  mirroring  the  En-Soph's 
Omnipresence  and  Omnipotence.  So  much  for  the  original- 
ity of  the  Zohar's  fundamental  ideas. 

We  concede  cheerfully,  that,  if  the  ingenious  Kabbalist 
borrowed  the  bulk  of  his  material,  he  certainly  digested  it 
well,  and  wove  it  skillfully  into  a  tissue  of  his  own.  He  pro- 
ceeds to  teach  that  the  highest,  purest,  and  ideal  world  is,  of 
course,  that  of  the  creative  Emanations,  closely  allied  to  The 
Unbounded,  who  works  through  His  archetypal  image  ;  it  is, 
in  Plato's  language,  the  "  world  of  ideas,"  in  Philo's,  the  Di- 
vine Sophia,  or  Wisdom,  a  world  most  perfect  and  immutable. 
From  this  world  of  ideas  emanates  the  world  of  forms,  pure, 
spiritual  beings,  less  perfect  than  the  Sephiroth,  but,  next  to 
these,  the  highest  in  the  scale,  entirely  ethereal,  personified  by 
the  angel  Matatron,  who  is  the  garment  of  Shaddai,  The  Om- 
nipotent, and  the  visible  manifestation  of  The  Unbounded. 
Matatron  is  the  prince  or  dominion  of  the  spiritual  world,  and 
is  a  well-known  personality  to  such  as  have  read  the  frequent 
allusions  to  him  in  the  Haggadic  traditions.  From  his  spirit- 
ual domain,  Matatron  controls  the  spheres  and  the  angels 
and  everything  else,  as  a  loyal  prime  minister  ought  to  do. 
Other  traditions  identify  Enoch  with  that  princely  magnate, 
who  is — we  are  scarcely  surprised — the  confidant  of  God,  His 
minister  of  the  interior  and  exterior.  His  trust  is  indeed  not 
small,  for  besides  planning  and  superintending  the  formation 
of  the  most  supernal  beings  and  things,  he  has  to  condescend 
to  attend  to  a  lower  grade  of  occupation,  since  from  his  potent 
spheres  issues  the  somewhat  lower  "  world  of  formation,"  a 
world  very,  very  high  above  the  one  we  are  treading,  but 
considerably  lower  than  the  transcendental  Sephiroth.  So  far 
from  having  anything  in  common  with  this  massive  globe,  the 
"  world  of  formation  "  is  wholly  free  from  gross  matter,  its 
denizens  being  angelic  hosts,  made  of  light,  divided  into  ten 
divisions,  corresponding  in  rank  to  the  original  ten  Emanations  ; 
being  invisible,  except  when  commissioned  to  appear  to  man. 
Not  one  of  these  but  holds  a  responsible  post  in  the  universe, 


134 

bearing  the  name  of  the  region  or  the  element  he  is  intrusted 
with  as  minister  and  sentinel. 

And  this  lower  angelic  world  gave  rise  to  the  lowest  of 
worlds,  called  the  "  world  of  action,"  or  of  matter,  it  being  a 
kind  of  condensation  of  all  the  grosser  elements  of  the  other 
three  worlds,  but  still  retaining  the  impression  of  the  ten 
Sephiroth.  This  is  a  world  of  tangible  substance,  limited  by 
time  and  space,  perceptible  to  the  senses,  changeable,  corrupti- 
ble, and  thus  the  abode  of  malignant  spirits.  Gross  and  im- 
perfect as  these  evil  angels  are,  they  are  yet  divided  up  into 
ten  ranks,  one  lower  than  the  other,  seven  of  which  are  the 
incarnation  of  all  human  vices,  and  inhabit  the  "  seven  in- 
fernal halls."  Samael  is  the  prince  of  these  black  legions  and 
regions.  The  seven  halls  are  subdivided  into  unnumbered 
places'  of  torture,  wherein  sinful  humanity  expiates  its  sins. 
Samael  was  the  tempting  snake  who  caused  Eve  to  disobey 
God's  will,  thus  bringing  about  the  expulsion  of  man  from 
Eden.  Samael  is  not  wifeless,  for  he  is  married  to  the  harlot, 
a  "  beast "  like  his  infernal  majesty ;  or,  rather,  both  making 
up  one  monstrous  brute,  and  working  in  constant  harmony  in 
disseminating  evil.  Samael  is  a  fallen  angel,  whose  prospects 
could  be  much  darker  than  they  actually  are.  But  we  must 
not  anticipate  matters.  The  creature  of  whom  we  know  most 
is  yet  to  be  heard  from,  and  that  is  man. 

The  upper  and  nether  worlds  being  ready  and  well  peopled, 
it  was  found  that  between  the  angels  and  the  demons  there 
was  a  missing  link,  a  being  who,  standing  between  the  angelic 
and  demoniac  opposition,  attacked  by  the  latter  and  shielded 
by  the  former  party,  would  bring  life  and  activity  into  the 
various  camps  of  the  otherwise  unemployed  good  and  evil 
spirits.  Thus  was  man  formed  after  the  model  of  the  celestial 
Adam,  a  being  who  is  the  microcosmic  epitome,  the  acme  of 
everything  that  is  mysterious  and  wonderful  in  the  universe ; 
the  very  shape  and  skin  of  his  body  revealing  to  the  seeing 
eye  the  stellar  figures  of  the  heavens.  As  the  heavenly  arche- 
type sprang  from  the  Inscrutable  En-Soph,  or  the  Universal 
Impenetrable,  so  was  His  copy,  the  earthly  Adam,  a  gracious, 
luminous  work  of  that  Celestial  Author,  who,  to  do  Himself 


135 

justice,  lavished  all  tlie  ten  Emanations  in  gracing  His  arche- 
typal, last  master-work — man.  That  man  was  the  crowning 
work  of  creation  is  proved  by  his  being  the  last  work  of  the 
sixth  day,  made  to  be  monarch  of  everything.  He  being 
there,  everything  above  and  below  was  complete ;  for  his  form 
is  that  of  the  whole  universe,  and  is  shaped  after  the  four 
letters  which,  in  Hebrew,  make  up  The  Holiest  Name.  Within 
and  without,  in  shape,  form,  and  feature,  to  him  who  can  read 
hidden  things  man  is  the  wonder  of  wonders,  the  mystery  of 
mysteries,  as  mysterious  as  the  starry  empyrean,  says  the  Zohar. 
His  soul  is  a  direct  offspring  of  the  transcendental  ten  Sephi- 
roth,  and  is  a  threefold  power  constituted  of  spirit,  soul, 
and  senses — wdi,  nn,  notyj — by  which  last  he  is  linked  to 
this  world  of  gross  matter.  His  spirit  emanates  from,  and  is 
influenced  by  the  Sephirali,  Crown,  thus  linking  him  to  the 
highest  world  of  ideas  and  ideals,  while  his  ethical  qualities 
emanate  from,  and  are  ruled  over  by,  the  Sephira,  Beauty, 
the  ethical  being  synonymous  with  the  beautiful,  which  is,  to 
our  mind,  the  best  idea  of  the  whole  Theosophy.  We  see 
here  in  a  new  garb  the  worlds  of  Ormuzd  and  of  Ahriman, 
light  and  darkness,  good  and  evil,  at  war,  with  man  as  the 
bone  of  contention,  and  the  Kabbalistic  theosophist  needed  to 
go  no  further  than  the  Talmud  to  get  his  materials ;  for  the 
Pharisee,  a  Monotheist  in  faith,  was  in  some  measure  a 
Magian  in  superstition. 

All  human  souls  pre-exist  in  the  ten  Sephiroth,  and  are  des- 
tined to  pass  through  the  earthly  ordeal  by  descending  into 
human  frames  and  dwelling  on  probation  below.  Prior  to 
sublunar  existence  each  soul  represents  the  dual,  male  and 
female,  principle.  Both  enter  this  world  in  two  separate 
forms  until,  united  by  marriage,  they  resume  the  original 
relation  of  one  complete  soul.  The  Most  Holy  One  controls 
these  unions  according  to  the  merits  or  demerits  of  man,  the 
virtuous  being  granted  his  original  companion,  which  is  denied 
to  the  wicked — thus  rendering  his  life  miserable.  Our  curi- 
osity as  to  the  soul's  mission  below  is  sufficiently  satisfied,  but 
not  in  a  manner  to  make  us  forget  the  teachings  of  Zoroaster 
and  of  Buddha.     The  soul  is  sent  down  with  a  perfect  free 


136 

will  and  an  unlimited  faculty  *to  develop  and  enrich  the  germs 
of  those  supernal  endowments  she  received  from  the  Sephi- 
roth,  lest  she  be  unable  to  re-ascend  to  the  Primordial  Source. 
Keason  is  at  a  loss  to  realize  how  a  power  issuing  from  the 
highest  Emanations,  instead  of  idealizing  the  gross,  could  run 
serious  risk  of  being  abased  and  engulfed  by  it.  Yet  this 
postulate  is  not  confined  to  Kabbalistic  literature.  Should,  by 
low  indulgence,  the  soul  degrade  her  high  nature,  she  is  given, 
by  re-birth,  three  chances  to  redeem  her  ethereal  quality,  after 
which,  failing  in  her  efforts,  Eternal  Grace  strengthens  her  by 
an  additional  soul  more  callous  to  earthly  temptation,  by  which 
assistance  she  ultimately  re-ascends  to  her  aerial  abode.  The 
soul's  transmigration  is  thus  an  essential  doctrine  in  the  Kab- 
balistic Theosophy,  a  doctrine  as  repugnant  to  the  spirit  of 
Mosaism  as  picture-worship.  When  all  souls  shall  have 
triumphantly  passed  through  this  ordeal,  then  will  the  Messiah 
descend  and  the  everlasting  Sabbath  begin — an  era  sinless  and 
blissful,  for  Satan  himself  will  be  restored  to  his  angelic  do- 
minion and  lustre  ;  all  souls  will  unite  with  the  Universal 
Soul  and  dwell  in  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  the  seven  Paradisical 
halls. 

All  this,  and  a  good  deal  more,  is  traced  back  as  implied  in 
Biblical  lore,  and  we  have  at  this  hour  tens  of  thousands  of  co- 
religionists to  whom  these  teachings  are  the  celestial  manna  of 
life.  They  are,  however,  looked  on  and  opposed  by  the  vast 
majority  as  deluded  dreamers,  giving  countenance  to  a  system 
and  a  Messiah  vitally  antagonistic  to  Monotheism.  These  ap- 
prehensions of  sober  Judaism  were  fully  justified  by  desertion 
from  its  ranks  of  many  prominent  Kabbalists,  who  found  the 
trinitarian  Church  more  congenial  to  their  doctrines  than  the 
Monotheistic  Synagogue.  Such  cases,  coupled  with  the  several 
false  Messiahs,  who  periodically  rose  from  the  Kabbalistic 
ranks  to  disturb  the  peace  in  Israel,  have  put  this  Theosophy 
under  the  ban  of  Jewish  sane  thought,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
learned  Mirandola's  thesis,  that  "  no  science  yields  greater 
proof  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  than  magic  and  the  Kabbalah. " 

It  were  unjust  to  dismiss  a  Theosophy  as  nebulous  as  this 
with  an  emphatic  "  Nonsense !"    For,  on  considering  the  aston- 


137 

ishing  completeness  of  the  system,  the  marvelous  ingenuity 
displayed  in  its  construction,  the  philosophic  serenity  with 
which  the  mystic  deeps  are  laid  bare  to  the  dizzy  mind,  and 
the  influence  it  has  exercised  over  Judaism  and  its  religious 
off-shoots,  it  is  not  easy  to  suppress  a  feeling  akin  to  wonder 
and  admiration.  To  avail  one's  self  of  ready  materials  in  the 
construction  of  a  new,  or  seemingly  new,  ideal  to  answer  the 
requirements  of  the  times,  is  not  this  doing  noble  service  to 
the  cause  of  humanity  ?  Taking  perfect  originality  as  a  test  of 
literary  merit,  would  it  not  be  reducing  the  world's  great  liter- 
atures to  a  few  ancient  ideas  ?  It  is  not  in  substance,  but  in 
form,  that  truth  reveals  herself  variously  to  various  minds, 
various  ages.  Philo  was  called  by  his  enthusiastic  co-religion- 
ists the  "Attic  Moses ; "  Moses  Mendelssohn  the  "  German 
Plato ;"  and  Hillel  could  with  more  propriety  be  surnamed  the 
"Jewish  Socrates." 

The  history  of  philosophy  shows  human  thought  engaged  in 
a  casting  and  recasting  of  systems,  with,  here  and  there,  a  new 
idea  imputable  less  to  mental  originality  than  to  the  natural 
growth  of  enlightenment  in  the  empirical  sciences.  Assimila- 
tion, digestion,  and  reproduction  of  thought  in  a  more  accept- 
able form,  more  suitable  to  the  needs  of  the  hour,  is  not 
plagiarism. 

On  close  examination  it  becomes  clear  that  Kabbalistic  The- 
osophy  is  a  hardy  effort  to  reconcile  the  pantheistic  idea  that 
underlies  all  mysticism,  with  Jewish  Monotheism  rooted  in  the 
Hebrew's  consciousness  of  a  Divine  Active  Personality,  active 
through  a  multitude  of  agents.  Such  appears  the  relation  of 
the  indefinable  En-Soph  to  His  perfect,  attributes,  the  creative 
Sephiroth  or  Emanations.  Yet  is  this  erratic  tendency  of  the 
mind  by  no  means  compatible  with  the  transparent  Monothe- 
istic and  ethically  realistic  ideal  of  Judaism.  The  mystic  Es- 
senes  were  not  popular  with  the  bulk  of  Israel ;  nor  did  Kab- 
balah, as  stated,  turn  out  irresistibly  attractive  to  Jews  in 
general,  but,  even  in  its  time  of  fascination,  met  with  as  bitter 
an  animadversion  on  the  one  hand  as  it  was  enthusiastically 
received  and  cultivated  on  the  other.  To  be  frank,  we  should 
prefer  to  miss  this  mystic  vegetation  in  the  otherwise  weeded 


138 

vineyard  of  the  Lord,  wherein  nothing  but  the  flowers  of 
Sharon,  the  balm  of  Gilead,  the  cedar  of  the  Lebanon,  and  the 
trees  of  knowledge  and  eternal  life  are  flourishing,  watered 
by  the  dew  of  Herinon. 

The  mystic  Church,  with  her  three  in  one,  and  one  in  three, 
was  quick  in  perceiving   her  affinity  to  the  vagaries  of  the 
Zohar,  and,  for  a  while,  it  looked  as  if  Simeon  ben  Yochai  was 
to  be  canonized  with  St.  Cyril,  who  consecrated  his  memory 
by  the  murder  of  the  wise  Hypatia,  and  the  extermination 
of  the  Alexandrian  Jews.     Jewish  affection   for  the  Zohar, 
we  suspect,  alone  caused  the  shrewd  Church  to  hesitate  in 
adopting  a  system  which  would  necessarily  create  a  common 
ground  with  a  religion  she  wisely  preferred  to  keep  at  a  dis-. 
tance.     This  was  no  mean  sacrifice  on  her  part,  for  no  sooner 
was  Jesus  recognized  in  the  "  heavenly  Adam  "  than  some  of 
those  reliable  eye-witnesses,  who  saw  the  house  in  which  Jesus 
had  lived  carried  by  an  angel  from  Bethlehem  to  a  small  town 
in  Italy,  miraculously  brought  to  light  an  edition  of  the  Zohar 
in  which  the  mystic  Thrice  Holy  of  the  prophet  was  explained 
as  meaning   the  Holy   Father,  the   holy  Son,  and  the   holy 
Ghost,     This  trinitarian  idea  found  a  plausible  support  in  a 
passage  of  that  work  which  speaks  of  God's  creative  voice  as 
being  constituted  of   three  elements,  fire,  air,  and  water,  or 
heat,  breath,  and  humidity.     A  work  given  to  Adam  in  Eden 
with  so  much  in  favor  of  the  "  Son  of  God "  was  a  godsend 
to  a  Church  that  began  to  feel  the  effects  of  undermining  re- 
formers.   Pope  Leo  X.  was  delighted  with  the  discovery ;  but, 
alas !  the  Jews,  one  of  whom  was  proved  to  have  cunningly 
manufactured  the  whole  thing !     If  that  Moses  de  Leon  had 
by  a  popular  instigation  been  crucified,  what  a  precious  saint, 
what  a  cluster  of  legends  and  miracles  he  would  have  fur- 
nished for  the  holy  Church  ?     Orthodox  theology  would  have 
a  new  subject ;  it  might  have  proved  conclusively  that  it  was 
Jesus  himself  who  came,  as  he  promised  he  would,  that  he 
was  again  crucified,  and,  resurrecting  as  of  old,  he  re-ascended 
transfigured  to  his  Father.     As  things  turned  out,  the  Zohar 
and  its  supplements  were  left  to  the  Jews,  and  they  have  it 
still — a  phenomenal  work  not  to  be  ashamed  of,  though  un- 


139 

necessary  as  a  guide  on  the  pathways  of  faith  and  righteous- 
ness. God,  revelation  teaches,  is  everywhere,  is  seen  and  felt 
all  around,  in  the  sunbeam,  the  lightning,  in  the  darkest  thun- 
der-storm, and  in  the  gentlest  zephyr.  We  need  no  mysticism, 
have  scarcely  room  for  it ;  but,  having  been  enriched  by  one 
who  felt  and  thought  deeply,  strove  and  labored  zealously,  let 
us  deal  justly  with  him.  His  mystic  system  compares  favorably 
with  the  best  known  to  us  in  the  Orient's  numerous  religions. 
Our  Kabbalistic  Theosophy  impresses  one  with  a  sense  of  a 
spiritual  superiority ;  since,  all  its  vagaries  and  superstitions 
notwithstanding,  it  virtually  hinges  on  the  Monotheistic  idea. 
To  the  author  of  the  Zohar  this  world  is  a  serious  reality ;  life 
a  period  of  trial  and  preparation — a  period  not  to  be  spent  in 
passive  inactivity,  but  in  active  resistance  to  the  low  and  the 
gross,  in  self-conquest,  self-denial,  and  in  promotion  of  the 
best. 

In  comparing  mystic  systems  and  doctrines  one  ought  to 
distinguish  between  the  religious  and  the  philosophical  ele- 
ment. The  religious  mystic  is  a  deep,  responsive  nature,  who, 
suspecting  or  doubting  the  reality  of  this  world,  and  conscious 
of  his  own  imperfections  and  painful  limitations,  longs  to 
break  through  the  bounds  of  mortality,  to  fathom  the  origin  of 
self  and  things  around,  to  determine  the  relation  of  the  "finite 
to  the  Infinite  Being,  and  to  bring  himself  into  spiritual  com- 
munion with  the  Cause  of  all  causes,  visible  or  invisible.  The 
danger  of  aberration  with  him  lies  in  his  selection  of  means  and 
methods  to  reach  that  great  end  ;  bodily  self -affliction,  passive, 
physical,  and  mental  torpor  being  the  threatening  extremes  of 
Oriental  mysticism  so  generally  adopted  in  the  mediaeval  con- 
vent and  hermitage.  Of  such  practices  the  Zohar  has  nothing 
to  say,  except  fasting  and  abstinence  from  gross  enjoyments, 
which  the  Kabbalist  urges  as  a  necessity  to  subdue  the  lower 
passions  and  weaken  the  chain  that  binds  humanity  to  matter. 
Obeying  different  promptings,  but  in  search  of  a  similar  goal — 
truth  and  God — the  philosopher,  endeavoring  to  substitute 
reason  for  intuition,  logic  for  sentiment,  reality  for  dreaming, 
climbs  the  same  Jacob's  ladder,  and,  ere  long,  involuntarily 
reasons  himself  out  of  reason  and  is  a  transcendentalist  or  a 


140 

mystic — which  is  the  same.  How  escape  mysticism  \  The  mo- 
ment you  touch  the  unknown,  unsounded,  undefined,  indefin- 
able, you  build  a  system  on  the  airy  foundation  of  speculative 
hypothesis — which  is  but  another  term  for  faith,  intuitive 
assumption.  The  very  premises  of  our  arguments  and  deduc- 
tions are  lost  in  mysticism.  To  build  on  hypothesis  is  building 
on  a  dream  ;  to  speak  of  tilings,  virtues,  excellencies,  which  are 
beyond  the  conceivable ;  to  found  a  philosophic  edifice  on  arbi- 
trary postulates,  is  it  not  raising  a  massive  superstructure  on  a 
basis  made  up  of  articles  of  faith  ?  Wherein,  then,  lies  the 
material  difference  between  the  fundamental  thoughts  of  Her- 
bert Spencer  and  those  of  the  mystic  Bernard  of  Clairvaux, 
or  the  author  of  Theologia  Mystica,  the  one  being  as  unable 
to  sustain  his  theory  as  the  other  ?  As  long  as  reason  is  in- 
competent to  reveal  the  unknown  and  solve  the  unsolved,  all 
thinking  men  will  be  in  a  measure  dreamers,  or,  as  they  are 
fashionably  called,  transcendentalists.  As  a  rule,  the  relig- 
iously inspired  and  responsive  nature  will  tend  irresistibly 
toward  the  mystic,  the  spiritual.  The  more  responsive  a  race 
the  more  mysticism  in  its  religion,  poetry,  philosophy,  and 
Theosophy.  We  cannot  define  mysticism  better  than — an  in- 
nate desire  in  the  human  soul  to  see  God  face  to  face  and  have 
cosmos  accounted  for  and  explained.  Our  most  realistic  law- 
giver, who  longed  to  behold  the  Divine  Glory  and  see  His 
ways,  was,  in  a  sense,  a  mystic.  What  is  then  more  natural 
than  that  a  people  like  Israel,  who  may  be  termed  the  religious 
oracle  of  mankind,  should,  in  its  Promethean  struggle  to  let 
earth  have  all  the  fire  and  light  of  heaven,  evolve  system  after 
system,  poetry,  Prophecy,  Talmudism,  philosophy,  Theosophy — 
all  more  or  less  permeated  by  the  mystic  spirit  of  a  beautiful, 
sublime  transcendentalism  ?  Because  foreign  thought  and 
dream  are  to  be  discerned  in  Kabbalistic  literature,  this  is  no 
reason  for  us  to  disown  it  as  another  aspect  of  the  Hebrew 
genius,  ever  eager  to  plunge  into  and  penetrate  the  unknown. 
Our  mystic  dream  is,  therefore,  but  another  soaring  effort  to 
satisfy  an  unappeased  spiritual  thirst  after  the  highest  and 
holiest.  That  Theosophy,  well  understood,  will  turn  out  more 
philosophical  than  prepossession  is  willing  to  admit.      As  a 


141 

supplement  to  Jewish  cosmogony,  Kabbalah  may  appear  in  the 
light  of  a  spiritual  Genesis.  "We  press  the  questiou  again : 
Wherein  is  Spencer's  "  Cosmos  "  less  mystic  than  that  of  the 
Zohar,  a  few  secondary  fancies  excepted  ?  Spencer  conceives 
of  a  time  in  boundless  eternity  when  nebular  matter  floated 
about,  brooding  in  darkness  and  death,  a  chaos  of  uncertain, 
dim  masses,  pregnant  with  possibilities  of  solar  systems  and  all 
such  potential  energies  as  broke  forth  in  life,  growth,  and  prog- 
ress. Behind  these  Spencer  does  not  go,  evidently  recoiling 
from  an  effort  which  overpowers  the  mind.  Of  what  we  are 
most  anxious  to  know,  namely,  the  spiritual  influences  back  of 
all  that  is — we  are  not  given  as  much  as  a  hint,  not  a  glimpse. 
Denied  the  fundamental  thought,  we  must  be  forgiven  if  we 
look  at  the  whole  as  a  philosophical  romance,  marvelously  de- 
veloped ;  a  romance  the  beginnings  of  which  are  lost  in  mystic 
darkness.  If  the  Kabbalist  is  not  less  mystic  in  his  primor- 
dial Cause,  he  is  decidedly  less  dim,  aye,  he  is  positive  in  its 
definition.  His  En-Soph  is  simply  the  Incomprehensible  Eter- 
nal; the  Elohim  of  Genesis,  whose  fiats  are  anthropomor- 
phized. The  philosopher  assumes  first  causes,  the  Kabbalist 
explains  them ;  the  philosopher's  forces  are  blind,  directed  no- 
body knows  by  whom,  springing  nobody  tells  wmence ;  the 
Kabbalist  systematically,  and,  we  may  add,  philosophically, 
bodies  forth  a  stupendous  cosmos,  back  of  which  are  tran- 
scendent spiritual  powers  emanating  from  Him,  Whom  words 
cannot  utter  nor  mind  comprehend  ;  Who  is  greater  than  im- 
mensity, a  Source  transcending  all  thought,  all  limit,  all  com- 
prehension ;  felt,  not  explained  ;  inexhaustible  ;  the  Beginning 
of  all,  Himself  without  beginning. 

Glad  as  we  should  be  to  hold  our  ground  with  our  sacred 
Scriptures  and  philosophic  literature,  consigning  mysticism  to 
folklore  and  poetry,  our  mystic  dream  is  surely  not  one  to  be 
treated  with  disrespect,  as  the  creation  of  a  morbid  imagina- 
tion. Given  a  poetical  garb,  the  Kabbalistic  Theosophy  would 
throw  all  other  epic  tales  into  insignificance.  It  is  a  wonder- 
tissue,  woven  of  ethereal  woof  and  warp ;  light  and  dark 
threads  interchange  therein ;  chaotic  deeps,  solar  worlds,  stars 
and  seraphim,  and  angels  high  and  low  are  therein  bending 


142 

to  the  Universal  Will ;  and  man  is  there  derived  from  the 
Purest  Essence  with  faith,  free  will,  hope,  and  intellect  to 
brighten  up  his  way  to  Him  who  is  the  All-in- All.  Smile  not, 
friend ;  you  know  not  more,  but  less  than  our  mystic  dreamer, 
of  visions  sweet,  of  lofty  thoughts  and  sentiments.  He  has  a 
heavenly  dream ;  what  have  you,  enlightened  as  you  imagine 
yourself  to  be  ?  Either  you,  too,  have  a  dream  or  a  soul  thirst- 
ing for  sensual  pleasure  ;  a  spirit  heavy  as  lead.  And  whither 
tends  your  faith  ?  What  do  you  read  in  the  stars,  the  oceans, 
and  the  continents  ?  What  has  hope  in  store  for  you  ?  This 
world,  you  know  well  enough,  is  not  yours,  and  if  you  cherish 
no  mystic  dream  of  an  hereafter,  then  have  you  good  cause  to 
envy  the  Jewish  mystic,  who  sees  end,  purpose,  and  wisdom 
in  everything ;  feels  himself  at  home  among  the  stars,  know- 
ing, or  believing  to  know,  the  Whence,  Whither,  and  Where- 
fore.    Happy  he,  happy  all  who  have  a  dream  ! 


CHAPTER   IX. 

HILLEL,  PHILO,  AND  JOSEPHUS. 

History  repeats  itself  in  many  ways.  On  reading  the  mas- 
terly reply  of  Joseplms  to  Apion,  and  those  other  defamers  of 
ancient  Israel,  who,  unable  to  cope  with  a  rival  of  spiritual 
superiority,  resorted  to  historical  forgeries,  one  thinks  he  is 
reading  a  chapter  of  modern  anti-Semitism.  The  curse  of 
falsehood  is  a  fatal  lameness  which  dooms  it  to  halt,  struggle, 
stumble,  and  sink  into  infamy,  leaving  its  bearers  to  dangle  in 
the  noose  from  the  gallows  they  raised  for  truth  and  innocence. 
Hainan  was  bodily  hanged  by  the  neck  on  the  gibbet  he  had 
built  for  another ;  are  not  scores  of  similar  malefactors  morally 
sustaining  the  same  penalty,  hanging  forever  between  hell  and 
heaven,  delivered  to  infamous  immortality?  Lies  will  not 
endure.  Falsehood  defeats  its  end  by  the  mad  excesses  it, 
happily,  cannot  escape.  Had  Apion  and  his  compeers  con- 
fined themselves  to  bearable  forgeries  against  a  race  they 
either  did  not  know  or  did  not  want  to  know,  they  might  not 
have  aroused  the  righteous  ire  of  the  learned  Joseplms,  who 
found  it  an  easy  work  to  brand  them  as  liars.  Unprovoked, 
Joseplms  would  have  scarcely  gone  out  of  his  way  to  discredit 
Greek  history,  showing  that  even  Herodotus  was  more  of  a 
fabulist  than  an  historian.  The  triumph  of  Joseplms  is  com- 
plete. He  sees  his  people's  defamers  defamed.  Apion  has 
the  impudence  to  record  that  the  Jews  had  the  head  of  an  ass 
made  of  gold  in  their  Temple,  as  an  object  of  worship.  An- 
tiochus  Epiphanes  had  found  it,  together  with  a  captive  Greek, 
whom  the  Jews  enticed,  fed  with  fine  delicacies  for  the  pur- 
pose of  delivering  him  to  slaughter,  his  entrails — a  rare  treat — 
to  be  eaten  by  them  secretly,  of  course.  But  for  the  scathing 
reply  which  forgeries  of  this  sort  elicited  from  the  Jewish 
historian,  many  a  precious   fact  would   most  probably  have 

(143) 


144 

been  lost  to  history  and  Judaism.  Precious  to  us  must  be 
the  evidence  furnished  by  Josephus,  that  Jews  and  Jewish 
laws  were  not  unknown  to  Berosns,  Pythagoras,  Aristotle, 
and  other  historians  and  thinkers  of  the  earliest  times.  They 
not  alone  knew  them,  but  many  respected  their  laws,  and 
actually  adopted  some  of  them.  Josephus  maintains  that 
"  Pythagoras,  and  Anaxagoras,  and  Plato,  and  the  Stoic  philos- 
ophers, who  succeeded  them,  and  almost  all  the  rest,  are  of 
the  same — Jewish — sentiments,  and  had  the  same  notion  of 
the  nature  of  God;"  but  they  "  durst  not,  these  men,  disclose 
those  true  notions  to  more  than  a  few.1"  Every  Jew  knew, 
however,  that  "  God  contains  all  things,  and  is  a  Being  every 
way  perfect  and  happy,  self-sufficient  and  supplying  all  other 
beings ;  the  beginning,  the  middle,  and  the  end  of  all  things. 
He  is  manifest  in  His  works  and  benefits,  and  more  conspicu- 
ous than  any  other  being  whatsoever ;  but  as  to  His  form  and 
magnitude  He  is  most  obscure,"  &c.  Jewish  thought  being 
so  much  older  than  Greek  thought,  and  Greek  philosophers 
having  knowledge  thereof,  was  it  not  natural  for  Philo  to 
assume  that  Greek  philosophy  was,  for  its  sublimest  ideas, 
largely  indebted  to  Hebraic  wisdom  ?  Is  it  reasonable  for  us 
to  suppose  that  the  wise  of  Greece,  who  traveled  to  distant 
climes  to  inform  themselves,  would  take  no  notice  of  a  people 
over  whom  a  Solomon  ruled '.  Before  Japheth  went  to  the 
tent  of  Shem  to  get  his  god,  was  he  not  there  to  get  many  of 
his  ideas?  Aryan  jealousy,  older  than  Apion  and  younger 
than  Kenan,  hates  to  let  Shem  prevail,  but  denying  is  one 
thing  and  refuting  another.34 

34  During  the  year  1835  a  gentleman,  S.  Hart,  found  at  the  British 
Museum  a  pamphlet  "  published  at  Cambridge,  by  W.  Thurlstone,  anno 
1739,"  signed  by  Philoglottus  and  dedicated  to  the  "  Eeverend  the 
Rector  and  Fellows  of  Lincoln  College,  in  the  University  of  Oxford." 
The  author  therein  shows  that  "  it  is  among  the  ancient  Easterns  that 
we  must  expect  to  find  at  least  that  traditional  knowledge,  which  des- 
cended to  mankind  more  pure  and  extensive  than  among  others."  This 
"  is  evident  from  the  general  resort  of  the  wisest  among  the  ancient 
sages  thither,  purely  for  the  improvement,  of  their  minds."  He  then 
proceeds  to  show  that  Pythagoras  must  have  been  acquainted  with  the 
contemporary  prophets :  "  namely,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and  other  sages 


145 

Josephus,  himself  a  priest,  speaks  of  the  Five  Books  of 
Moses  as  belonging  to  the  twenty-two  known  to  him  to  be  of 
hoary  antiquity,  the  only  code  known  to  ancient  Israel ;  yet 
have  we  learned  men — among  them  Voltaire  and  Eenan — who 
seriously  doubt  the  existence  of  a  Mosaic  personality,  while 
even  Manetho  goes  no  further  than  substituting  Osarsiph  for 
Moses,  thus  confirming  his  personality,  though  denying  his 
Hebrew  origin  and  descent.  We  may  then  be  forgiven  for 
doubting  the  existence  of  Jesus,  who  in  very  truth  left  nothing 
but  legends  to  tell  of  his  career.  It  must  be  mortifying  to  the 
Church  to  see  the  scattered  allusions  of  Josephus  to  Jesus  and 
some  of  his  followers  rejected  as  false  interpolations ;  for  Euse- 
bius  admires  that  historian  and  Zosimus  declares  him  a  celeb- 
rity of  his  age,  honored  alike  by  Jew  and  Gentile.  A  con- 
firmation of  the  well-informed  Josephus  of  the  extraordinary 

of  the  priests  and  Levites,  and  generally  of  the  Israelites."  Thales,  as 
well  as  the  other  Sapi  or  Wise  Men,  famous  in  Greece,  have  all  gotten 
their  wisdom  by  traveling  and  biding  among  the  Orient's  wisest.  "  Plato 
not  only  traveled  over  Egypt  to  this  end,  but  even  acknowledged  that 
the  Greeks  received  their  most,  valuable  learning,  at  least  in  a  great 
measure,  from  the  Phoenicians  and  Syrians,  that  is,  Hebrews,  from 
whom,  in  particular  from  Moses,  he  lias  borrowed  so  largely,  that  Nume- 
nius,  the  Pythagorean,  did  not  scruple  to  style  him :  Plato,  making 
Moses  speak  classically  like  a  Grecian.  From  those  Easterns  the  Greeks 
learned  the  use  of  letters  by  means  of  Cadmus ;  and  indeed,  the  ety- 
mology of  this  name,  which  is  plainly  derived  from  the  Hebrew  DTD, 
clearly  discovers  to  us  the  obligations  the  Greeks  are  under  to  the 
Easterns  for  the  first  elements  of  knowledge ;  and,  more  especially  per- 
haps to  the  Hebrews  and  Chaldees,  so  remarkably  characterized  by  the 
Oracle :  The  Chaldees  alone  have  obtained  true  wisdom,  that  is,  the  Hebrews." 
Continuing,  the  learned  writer  reminds  his  readers  that  Solon  was  cer- 
tainly indebted  for  his  best  laws  to  the  Easterns,  whom  he  copied  ;  he 
pays  the  highest  tribute  to  the  Hebrew  tongue,  which  he  finds  "  to 
be  an  original  and  essential  language,  that  borrows  of  none,  but  lends 
to  all,"  a  language  which  even  the  inveterate  enemies  of  Israel  admit 
"  to  have  a  noble  emphasis,  and  a  close  and  beautiful  brevity ; "  and, 
referring  us  to  universal  history,  he  adds  :  "Aristotle,  we  are  assured, 
esteemed  an  acquaintance  with  the  Hebrew  learning  so  expedient  to 
his  disquisitions  that  he  made  himself  a  master  of  that  branch  of 
literature,  and  was  well  versed  therein."  Until  this  is  disproved,  Philo's 
conceit  of  having  but  reclaimed  a  portion  of  his  sires'  wisdom  from  its 
Hellenic  assimilation  may  well  be  pardoned. 


146 

event  would  have  set  all  doubts  aside,  and  would  have  hastened 
the  spread  of  primitive  Christianity,  instead  of  which  it  was 
long;  exposed  to  Roman  scorn  and  persecution.  There  is  good 
reason  for  us  to  believe  that  the  original  edition  of  Josephus 
contained  not  a  line  in  reference  to  the  crucifixion,  and  this 
fact  having  been  proved  beyond  a  doubt,  the  work  is  as  in- 
valuable to  historical  truth  and  Judaism  as  it  is  obnoxious  to 
its  daughter  religion.  How  important  that  historian's  testi- 
mony was  deemed  in  the  eyes  of  the  early  church  fathers,  is 
sufficiently  demonstrated  by  their  clumsy  effort  to  turn  him 
into  a  witness  of  the  fundamental  fact  on  which  Christianity 
is  based.  But  the  presence  of  the  forgeries  is  more  damaging 
to  the  cause  they  were  meant  to  serve  than  the  absence  of  any. 
mention  whatsoever.  They  betray  a  consciousness  of  weak- 
ness and  a  disposition  to  adopt  unholy  means.  Josephus  and 
Philo  are  contemporaries,  while  Hillel  preceded  them  by  sev- 
eral decades.  All  three  lived,  strove,  thought,  and  taught 
at  a  period  when  the  world  is  said  to  have  undergone  the 
greatest  changes.  Why  is  Josephus  silent  about  the  star  that 
wandered,  the  earthquake,  the  darkened  sun,  and  the  countless 
miracles  recorded  by  the  gospels  \  Having  been  on  the  scene, 
his  silence  looks  ominous,  while  his  glorification  of  Judaism 
proves  its  undiminished  power  even  over  the  most  learned 
Jews  of  that  age.  The  same  may  be  said  of  Philo,  to  whom 
Eusebius  ascribes  a  certain  work  in  which  the  good  father  sees 
the  eiories  of  monastic  life  foreshadowed.  To  associate  Philo 
Judseus  with  monasticism  is  about  as  skillful  a  scheme  as  to 
derive  the  trinitarian  principle  from  the  Decalogue.  But  the 
pious  church  fathers  could  perform  all  kinds  of  miracles. 

Josephus  is  especially  fortunate  in  comparing  the  Aryan 
way  of  writing  history  with  that  followed  by  the  Semitic  tribes. 
He  makes  out  a  strong  case  by  showing  that  in  Greece  no  reg- 
ular records  were  kept.  Everybody  there  could  be  an  historian, 
and  the  people  cared  much  less  for  the  reliability  of  the  stated 
fact  than  for  the  style  in  which  it  was  delivered.  Accuracy 
and  veracity,  the  two  elements  essential  to  good  history,  were 
the  least  and  the  last  thought  of.  No,  educated  to  believe  ig- 
norant, superstitious  priests,  and  to  worship  fabulous  gods,  the 


147 

Greek  historian,  in  order  to  surprise  his  audience,  had  to  blend 
the  little  he  knew,  or  imagined  he  knew,  with  a  tissue  of  fiction, 
things  strange  and  curious.  The  Roman  chronicler  followed 
the  same  tendency.  The  veracity  of  these  historians  is  sore- 
ly tested  by  statements  like  the  following  by  Dion  Cassius. 
With  perfect  calm  this  ardent  worshiper  of  the  gods  records 
that  the  Jews  had  massacred  two  hundred  and  twenty  thou- 
sand Greeks  in  Cyrene ;  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  of 
the  same  heroic  nation  in  Cyprus ;  an  immense  multitude  in 
Egypt,  many  of  whom  were  cut  asunder ;  their  blood  was 
greedily  drunk,  their  flesh  devoured,  and  their  entrails  used  as 
girdles.  Like  Apion,  Dion  Cassius  hangs  himself  by  his  lying 
tongue.  The  Jews  revolted,  had  good  cause  to  revolt  against 
their  outrageous  oppressors.  Had  the  Roman  had  an  idea  of 
their  religious  scruples  he  would  have  blushed  at  his  own 
infamy.  A  people  that,  a  hundred  times  before,  preferred 
death  to  unclean  food,  need  not  seriously  refute  such  charges 
of  cannibal  barbarities.  As  to  the  cause  of  their  revolt,  we 
are  informed  by  Josephus  that  the  Jews,  scattered  among  the 
Greeks  in  Asia  and  elsewhere,  sent  ambassadors  to  Caesar  Au- 
gustus with  bitter  complaints  of  outrage,  pillage,  and  abuse, 
beseeching  him  to  grant  them  equality  and  religions  liberty ; 
and  that  their  complaints  were  well  substantiated  is  sustained 
by  the  edict  issued  in  their  favor.35  It  was  not  always  ill- 
will  or  malice,  but  prejudice  against  what  they  termed  barba- 
rous peoples,  and  a  desire  to  surpass  others  in  strange  tales, 
startling  facts,  which  tempted  the  ancient  Aryan  to  misrepre- 
sent his  neighbors — a  disposition  modern  history  has  not  out- 
grown.    We  have  yet  to  find  an  historian  generous  enough  to 

35  It  opens:  "Cresar  Augustus,  high-priest  and  trihune  of  the  people, 
ordains  thus:  Since  the  nation  of  the  Jews  has  been  found  grateful  to 
the  Roman  people,  not  only  at  this  time,  but  in  times  past,  also,"  &c, 
he  orders,  "that  the  Jews  have  liberty  to  make  use  of  their  own  cus- 
toms according  to  the  law  of  their  forefathers."  These  privileges, 
granted  by  the  Roman  emperors,  were  not  repealed  before  439,  when  the 
Christian  emperor,  Theodosius  II.,  excluded  all  Jewish  citizens  from 
public  offices,  "  which  exclusion  subsequently  determined  their  position 
in  the  Eastern  Roman  Empire,  as  well  as  in  Europe,  as  that  law  was 
embodied  in  the  Justinian  code,"  remarks  Doellinger. 


148 

do  full  justice  to  an  adversary.  Not  so  the  Jews,  who,  at  the 
very  outset  of  their  history,  had  appointed  historiographers, 
men  of  high  station,  integrity,  installed  into  the  holy  office  of 
priesthood,  pledged  to  record  truth — cost  it  what  may.  This, 
Josephus  emphatically  asseverates,  and  he  has  the  sacred  rec- 
ords to  sustain  him.  King  or  queen,  or  magnate,  or  popular 
hero,  or  High-Priest — Jewish  history  was  never  overawed  by 
names  or  titles,  but  throws  as  much  light  on  their  short- 
comings as  on  their  excellencies.  The  Jew  never  trifled  with 
truth  ;  exceptions  serving  but  to  confirm  the  rule.  Every  bi- 
ographical sketch  in  our  Biblical  chronicles  will  stand  inquiry 
as  to  its  most  probable  veracity,  so  that  the  unfailing  legends 
which  usually  gather  round  distinguished  persons  never  ob- 
scure their  real  individuality. 

Ours  is  a  history  of  facts,  men,  thoughts,  and  actions. 
Neither  myth  nor  miracle  throws  doubt  on  oar  leading  figures 
in  history.  Good  cause  has  Strauss  to  question  the  individu- 
ality of  Jesus,  but  who  ever  dreamt  of  doubting  the  personal- 
ity of  Josephus,  of  Hillel,  or  of  Philo  \  They  are  the  three 
who  bear  witness  to  Israel's  sublime  ideal  long  before  the 
Christian  myth  found  currency  among  the  vulgar  masses. 
The  memory  of  these  universally-honored  figures  should  be 
kept  green,  since  they  did,  in  a  great  measure,  directly  deter- 
mine the  course  of  Jewish,  and  indirectly  influence  that  of 
universal  history.  How  much  of  the  wise  sayings  and  teach- 
ings ascribed  to  the  founder  of  Christianity  are  not  found  ex- 
pressed in  the  pages  of  Josephus,  the  wisdom  of  Hillel,  and 
the  philosophy  of  Philo  ?  May  he  who  has  judgment  judge. 
And  how  infinitely  more  they  taught  than  the  Church  ever 
dreamt  of.  Referring  our  reader  to  a  perusal  of  those  para- 
graphs in  Josephus  which  sum  up  the  principles  which  gov- 
erned the  ancient  Jewish  Theocracy,  we  shall  give  a  little  at- 
tention to  Hillel  first,  then  a  look  at  Philo. 

We  shall  not  apologize  for  expressing  our  inmost  conviction 
that  the  mildest  features  and  charitable  principles  credited  to 
the  doubtful  Nazarene  are  substantially  borrowed  from  the 
beautiful  legends  and  anecdotes  that  cluster  around  the  name 
of  Hillel,  while  his  unsettled  mind  and  visionary  proclivities 


149 

are  entirely  foreign  to  the  serene  nature  of  the  Hebrew  sage. 
If  there  ever  lived  a  man  who  said  those  many  good  and  as 
many  queer  things  as  are  given  to  ns  in  his  name  ;  if  he  strove 
and  died  loyal  to  a  conviction,  he  did  no  more  than  Socrates 
and  Eleazar  did  before,  and  Hnss  and  many  others  did  after 
him.  Life  was  less  precious  to  him  than  truth  ;  so  it  was  to 
the  great  Greek  and  the  martyred  Hebrew,  and  he  is  entitled 
to  no  more  nor  less  respect  than  those  myriads  of  noble  men 
and  women  who  lived  and  died  for  a  conviction,  an  ideal.  We 
mean  to  say,  that  the  day  on  which  we  shall  be  convinced  that 
a  legitimate  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  was  crucified  because  of 
his  enthusiastic  devotion  to  our  Father  in  heaven,  or  because 
of  his  efforts  to  redeem  a  backsliding  age  from  corruption,  we 
shall  bless  his  name,  but  curse  the  impostors  who  turned  him 
into  a  dark,  vindictive  Moloch,  whose  altars  reeked  with  hu- 
man gore,  and  whose  priests  reveled  in  the  mire  of  abomina- 
ble vice. 

But,  as  to  his  teachings,  they  are,  at  best,  second-hand 
productions,  with  an  admixture  of  preposterous  extravagances. 
We  recommend  our  Hillel  as  a  nobler,  sounder  specimen  of 
ideal  manhood,  all  originality  and  self-reliance ;  a  soul  centred 
in  a  conscious  self,  recognizing  the  vanities  of  earthly  life,  yet 
realizing  its  high  goal,  and  commending  it  as  a  happy  span  of 
duration,  vital  to  spiritual  progress  in  the  universe.  Our  first 
acquaintance  with  Hillel  awakens  our  sympathy  for  the  poor 
young  husband,  whose  heart  is  divided  between  duties  to  an 
indigent  family  and  a  thirst  for  knowledge  with  no  means  to 
quench  it.  Unable  to  pay  the  small  admission  fee  to  the  gate- 
keeper of  the  school  where  the  wise  meet,  he  tries,  says  the 
tale,  to  get  a  hearing  of  what  is  taught  therein  through  the 
upper  class-room  by  climbing  up  to  one  of  its  windows.  And 
so  absorbed  is  he  in  catching  the  sounds  of  the  learned,  that  a 
slowly-descending  snow  covers  him  up,  numbing  his  vital  cur- 
rents. Found  in  this  state,  his  condition  moves  charity  to  as- 
sist him.  He  progresses  rapidly  until  his  attainments  become  a 
matter  of  wonder  and  admiration.  Soon  the  head  of  a  school 
and  chief  of  a  scholarly  party,  he  stamps  his  followers  with 
the  seal  of  his  benignant  personality,  grows  in  importance, 


150 

authority,  and  fame  ;  displays  at  the  same  time  an  astonish- 
ing determination  to  remedy  evils  brought  about  by  a  slavish 
adherence  to  the  letter  of  the  Law,  often  irreconcilable  with 
changed  surroundings  and  circumstances.  Later,  president 
of  the  Sanhedrin,  and  the  most  popular  of  teachers  in  Israel, 
Hill  el's  active  career  caused  succeeding  generations  to  venerate 
in  him  the  reformer  of  his  time — a  man  of  whom  it  may  be 
said  that  he  possessed  that  magic  wand  which  can  change  a 
wilderness  into  a  garden  of  delight. 

Hillel's  mild  temper  is  often  contrasted  with  the  severe,  im- 
patient individuality  of  the  venerable,  very  conservative  head 
of  the  opposition.  When  a  heathen  approached  Shammai, 
with  the  request  to  be  converted  to  Judaism,  provided  he 
would  teach  him  its  main  doctrines  while  he  was  standing  on 
one  leg,  the  illustrious  master  impatiently  repelled  him.  On 
approaching  Hillel  with  the  same  proposition,  the  gentler  sage 
answered  :  "  What  is  hateful  to  thyself,  do  not  unto  another," 
is  the  substance  of  Judaism,  the  rest  being  an  amplifying  com- 
mentary thereof,  which  he  advised  the  proselyte  to  study.  His 
patience  being  once  discussed  by  two  men,  one  staked  a  large 
amount  in  a  wager,  thinking  he  could  exhaust  it.  In  order  to 
reach  his  end,  he  chose  the  hour  on  Friday  when  Hillel  was  in 
the  habit  of  bathing  for  the  coming  Sabbath,  to  annoy  him.  En- 
tering unceremoniously  the  rabbi's  house,  he  cried,  "  Where  is 
Hillel,  is  Hillel  here  %  "  The  good  man  immediately  appeared, 
barely  wrapped  in  his  light  garments,  asking,  "  My  son,  what  is 
your  pleasure  ? "  Though  the  question  put  to  him  was  studi- 
ously trifling,  he  answered  it  and  retired,  only  to  be  disturbed 
again  and  again  by  the  same  blatant  individual,  who  was  bent 
on  winning  his  wager.  But  the  intruder  was  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. For  Hillel  not  alone  satisfied  the  impudent 
molester  by  answering  all  his  silly  questions,  but  invited  him 
to  come  again  should  he  have  any  doubt  about  anything  he 
might  be  able  to  remove.  "  May  there  not  be  many  like  thee 
in  Israel,"  cried  the  frustrated  party.  "  Why,  my  son  ?  "  asked 
the  insulted  sage.  Being  informed  of  the  loss  the  other  sus- 
tained through  his  patience,  a  loss  of  four  hundred  dinars,  he 
remarked  :  "  It  is  much  better  that  you  should  lose  double  the 


151 

amount  of  what  you  have  lost,  than  that  Hillel  should  lose  his 
patience." 

Many  are  the  anecdotes  extant  characteristic  of  Hillel's 
sweet,  benevolent  nature.  Nobody  who  turned  his  face  toward 
Israel's  religion  was  turned  away  by  him,  be  the  conditions 
ever  so  strange.  Shammai  rejected  a  pagan  who  offered  to  em- 
brace Judaism  subject  to  the  assured  prospect  of  his  becoming 
its  High  Priest.  Hillel  proposed  to  try,  and,  by  teaching  the 
proselyte  the  solemn  duties  and  awful  responsibilities  of  that 
high  office,  he  induced  him  to  abandon  the  idea.  Like  Sham- 
mai, Hillel  divided  mankind  into  three  divisions  as  to  char- 
acter and  virtue  ;  the  righteous,  the  averagely  good,  and  the 
wicked.  On  the  day  of  judgment,  all  agreed,  the  wicked  will 
be  sent  down  to  Gehinnom  for  punishment ;  the  good  will 
share  in  the  bliss  of  the  righteous ;  as  to  the  averagely  good, 
the  followers  of  Shammai  thought  they  would  have  to  pass 
through  hell  to  heaven,  a  view  rejected  by  the  teachings  of 
Hillel,  who  thinks  The  Almighty's  Grace  would  incline  the 
scale  of  justice  in  their  favor,  making  the  good  in  their  life 
prevail  over  the  evil.  How  much  diviner  this  sentiment  than 
those  of  Jesus,  who  promises  no  mercy  to  such  as  doubted  his 
divinity,  cursing  tribes  and  cities  because  unable  to  convince 
them  of  his  Messiahship.  Characteristic  of  Hillel  is  the  inci- 
dental reference  found  in  the  Talmud  about  the  manner  in 
which  he  treated  a  son  of  a  good  family  he  befriended.  In 
consideration  of  the  better  days  the  poor  youth  had  seen,  he 
was  provided  with  a  horse  to  ride  on  and  a  servant  to  follow 
him.  When,  on  a  certain  occasion,  no  servant  was  to  be  found 
to  attend  the  youth,  Hillel  himself  performed  the  humble 
office,  "  running  before  the  horse,"  as  the  records  tell,  "  for 
three  miles,"  to  satisfy  the  humanest  sentiment  of  a  royal  hos- 
pitality. About  two  thousand  years  before,  Abraham  used  to 
wait  longingly  before  his  doors  in  expectation  of  strangers,  on 
whom  he  himself  attended  with  joy.  Such  were  our  fathers 
and  teachers,  at  a  period  in  history  when  the  wild  ancestors  of 
the  proudest  Aryan  nations  slept  in  caves  and  led  a  cannibal,  or, 
at  best,  a  murderous  life.  Love  for  all,  and  charity  to  every  liv- 
ing creature,  is  Hillel's  real  Nirvana ;  but  he  is  not  Buddhistic 


152 

in  his  views  of  human  existence,  which,  in  his  judgment,  so 
far  from  being  a  period  of  struggle  and  pain,  is,  on  the  con- 
trary, intended  for  man's  benefit,  a  sweet  blessing  to  be  cheer- 
fully and  gratefully  enjoyed  and  beneficially  utilized.  Take 
the  to-day  as  it  comes,  enjoy  it,  and  let  Providence  take  care 
of  the  morrow,  is  Hillers  advice ;  for  surely  man  is  here  for 
his  best  on  probation,  master  of  self,  his  time,  of  this  world 
and  the  world  to  come.  Why  be  gloomy?  Is  not  cheer  a 
healthier  mood  ?     The  Shechinah  flees  the  melancholy  soul.36 

Hillel's  ethical  sayings  breathe  Socratic  wisdom,  Buddhistic 
serenity,  an  unexcelled,  universal  humanity,  and  faith  unshaken 
in  the  final  triumph  of  righteousness.  "  Love  peace,  strive  for 
peace,  love  mankind  and  enlighten  them  in  the  knowledge  of 
God,"  is  one  of  his.  More  of  his  golden  rules  will  be  given 
elsewhere. 

Psychologically  interesting  are  the  two  extremes  of  an  al- 
most feminine  benignity,  blended  with  a  determined  virility, 
dauntless  in  carrying  the  hardiest  plans  into  reality.  Hillel 
was  daring  when  innovation  was  necessary  to  uphold  the  cause 
of  justice,  so  that  even  the  letter  of  the  Law  had  to  yield  to 
the  peremptory  demands  of  the  times.  The  Law's  spirit,  not 
its  letter,  was  his  guide,  and  the  reforms  he  introduced  necessi- 
tated nothing  less  than  the  falling  into  abeyance  of  certain  ordi- 
nances of  Sacred  Scripture.  Because  Scripture  tells  that  a  man 
may  redeem  his  property  on  a  certain  day,  shall  he  forfeit  it  on 
account  of  his  creditor's  cunning,  who  evaded  him  on  that  very 
day?  No,  this  cannot  be  the  spirit  of  the  Divine  Law.  The 
man  having  complied  with  certain  rules  shall  get  his  property 
whether  his  creditor  be  present  or  absent.  Wise  interpretation 
of  The  Law  under  radically  changed  circumstances,  was  vital  to 
the  existence  of  Judaism,  and  for  such  he  amply  provided,  by 
teaching  a  sevenfold  manner — seven  Middoth — in  which  Holy 
Writ  may,  by  the  use  of  reason,  be  made  to  cover  all  possible 
emergencies.  Not  less  important  to  the  growth  and  prosperity 
of  Judaism  in  dispersion  proved  his  systematization  of  the  un- 
wieldy maze  of  traditional  lore,  reducing  it  to  six  regular  di- 
visions, or  Sedarim.     Nineteen  centuries  have  not  diminished 

.131  maifj;  "yino  *6  mit?  nratyn  px 36 


153 

the  veneration  for  a  man,  who,  had  he  not  died  a  Jew,  would 
have  been  beatified  by  the  Church,  either  as  the  sky-directed 
master  of  Jesus,  or  as  the  very  incarnation  of  divine  benignity  ; 
so  wise,  so  mild,  so  firm,  sweet,  charitable,  deep,  devout,  re- 
signed, cheerful,  faithful,  and  hopeful ;  one  of  the  rarest  fig- 
ures in  history.  Such  is  our  Hillel.  Judaism,  however,  wor- 
ships nor  saints  nor  martyrs,  but  looks  on  all  its  expounders  as 
inspired  instruments  of  The  Most  High.  Hillel  fulfilled  his 
mission  ;  came  when  he  was  needed ;  did  what  was  best.  He 
lives  enshrined  in  the  grateful  Jewish  heart,  and  admired  by 
posterity  at  large.  His  precious  seed  is  there  multiplying  and 
bearing  fruit  far  beyond  the  limited  field  it  was  scattered  in. 
The  lame  attempt  to  pluck  laurels  from  his  immortal  crown,  to 
ingraft  them  on  the  inferior  head  of  a  mythical  man-god,  will 
in  time  turn  out  as  successful  as  the  trip  of  Phaeton  on  the 
chariot  of  his  father,  the  all-seeing  sun-god. 

Inspired  by  the  same  spirit,  working  for  the  same  ideal,  but 
moving  on  different  lines  and  aiming  at  loftier  aspects,  Philo 
commands  our  unqualified  veneration  as  another  luminous  pil- 
lar, guiding,  as  the  ancient  pillar  of  light,  his  co-religionists 
from  the  bondage  of  letter- worship  to  the  realms  of  thought  and 
dream.  By  far  the  most  prominent  of  the  Alexandrian  school, 
and  unfamiliar  with  the  Rabbinical  interpretation  of  Scripture, 
he,  imbued  with  Hellenic  culture,  found  it  impossible  to  see  in 
the  Old  Testament  simply  a  range  of  ordinary  ideas  destined  to 
regulate  the  physical  conditions  of  life.  True,  the  allegorical 
method  of  reading  the  Bible  was  not  unknown  to  the  Talmudist, 
but  with  the  Hellenic  Israelite  it  became  a  rule  essential  to  his 
reverence  of  Jewish  Scripture.  There  was  no  mean  for  him. 
To  him  the  Old  Testament  was  either  a  revelation  of  spiritual 
allegories  in  a  literal  garb,  or  it  was  a  system  of  polity  which 
had  served  its  time.  If  a  childish  mythology  could  give  rise 
to  a  Platonic  philosophy  and  Theosophy,  what  treasures  of 
mystic  wisdom  were  not  to  be  conjured  up  from  the  deeps  of 
the  Mosaic  Revelation,  and  the  sublime  visions  of  Prophecy  % 
Applying  his  philosophical  genius  to  a  deeper  insight  into  the 
Pentateuch,  Philo  was  amazed  to  discern  all  Greek  wisdom  in 
and  between  the  lines  of  Mosaism,  so  that  the  conception  of 


154 

Moses  as  the  truest  and  only  inspired  oracle  of  The  True  and 
Only  God,  became  the  fixed  idea  of  Philo  and  his  school.  For 
the  uninitiated,  Scripture  contained  simple  instruction  ;  to  the 
thinking  it  revealed  the  spiritual  universe.  Even  the  stories 
had  an  allegorical  meaning  to  the  enlightened.  Jacob's  love 
for  Rachel  signified  love  of  chastity,  purity  ;  Adam  symbolized 
the  sensuous  side  of  human  nature;  Leah  was  unadmired 
virtue  ;  Rebecca  was  an  emblem  of  patience  ;  and  so  on. 

We  shall  have  a  few  words  to  say  of  our  "  philosophical 
realities,"  but  as  a  prelude  it  will  be  interesting  to  devote  a 
limited  space  to  an  outline  of   Philo's  philosophical  system. 
The  shortest  review  of  this  philosopher's  dreams  will   suffi- 
ciently indicate  how  much  the  Zohar  is  indebted  to  his  world 
of  ideas  and  ideals.     As  a  thinker  of  the  highest  grade,  Philo 
deserves  our  most  serious  study,  since  his   masterly  discern- 
ment not  alone  welds  Hellenism  and  Hebraism  into  one  mag- 
nificent system,  but  elevates  Monotheism  to  an  ideal  sublimity 
beyond  which  it  is  impossible  to  rise.     In  Philo's  philosophy 
the  impartial  student  will  find  Hellenic  thought  play  an  aux- 
iliary, rather  subordinate  part.     Aryan  jealousy  did  its  utmost 
to  deny  Philo  the  authorship  of    a  new  system.      He  only 
copied  his  Greek  masters,  those  critics  say ;  assimilated  mate- 
rials to  reproduce  them  in  a  Judaized  habiliment.    We  admit 
cheerfully  that  in  no  case  we  know  of  is  the  Jewish  assimilative 
faculty  so  surprisingly  illustrated  as  in  Philo's  genius  of  spiritu- 
alizing heathenish  ideas  by  a  process  of  an  intuitive  superiority? 
which  never  for  a  moment  betrays  him  as  the  true,  loyal  Mono- 
theist.    We  may  possibly  hear,  one  of  these  days,  that  an  Aryan 
archaeologist  unearthed  'positive  proofs  that  Mosaism  was  made 
up  of  materials  borrowed  from  a  score  of  ancient  codes.     This 
would  be  as  serious  a  charge  as  the  one  advanced  against  a 
great  architect,  that  the  splendid  structure  he  designed  was 
built  of  stones  cut  from  various  quarries.    It  is,  we  should  think, 
the  privilege  of  genius  to  inherit  and  utilize  the  mental  achieve- 
ments of    the   past,  provided   they   are,  in  a  masterly  way, 
adapted  to  higher  needs  of  the  present  and  the  future.     Had 
some  kind  antiquarian  removed  all  doubt  as  to  ancient  Hel- 
lenism  having   been    probably   enriched    by   its    senior,  He- 


155 

braism,  we  would  not  hesitate  in  avowing  what  Philo  himself 
did,  namely,  our  veneration  of  the  Greek  masters.  Would 
this  detract  aught  from  the  greatness  of  our  noble  philosopher  ? 
Platonic  and  Pythagorean  thought,  everybody  will  admit,  had 
to  undergo  a  very  substantial  smelting  process  before  it  could 
be  fused  and  moulded  into  the  Hebraic  ideal ;  their  world  of 
ideas  had  to  be  harmonized  with,  and  subordinated  to,  the 
Jewish  world  of  spirit.  On  one  essential  point,  Philo's  mind 
is  irrevocably  settled.  Whatever  good,  true,  and  beautiful 
he  found  in  Hellenic  literature,  he  only  admired  and  assimi- 
lated because  he  saw  it  endorsed  or  anticipated  by  the  supreme- 
ly Divine  Law  of  Moses— a  circumstance  which  by  no  means 
affected  his  profoundest  respect  for  heathen  thought.  Nor  had 
he  the  least  doubt  as  to  who  borrowed  of  whom.  Moses  lived 
at  least  a  thousand  years  before  Plato.  How,  out  of  materials 
that  are  in  nature  either  pantheistic,  materialistic,  or  agnostic, 
Philo  succeeded  in  building  up  a  philosophy  which  is  substan- 
tially Jewish,  is  a  subject  worthy  of  a  longer  notice  than  the  one 
we  are  permitted  to  indulge  in.  When  one  remembers  the  bit- 
ter resistance  the  Jews,  under  the  Asmoneans,  offered  to  Hel- 
lenistic culture,  as  it  was  forced  on  them,  Philo's  acceptance 
of  Greek  philosophy  and  its  assimilation  in  his  system  is  the 
more  to  be  wondered  at.  But  this  happened  in  a  different  age 
and  clime,  and  under  changed  conditions.  When  tyranny  re- 
sorted to  terrorism  to  exterminate  a  faith  rooted  in  the  Jewish 
heart,  Hellenism  was  odious  to  the  Jew,  who  swore  dire  ven- 
geance, and  wreaked  it  in  the  blood  of  the  foe.  But  when, 
far  from  Zion,  Hellene  and  Hebrew  learned  to  fraternize 
in  the  mild  atmosphere  of  Alexandrian  rule,  the  discovery  of 
an  intellectual  kinship  proved  a  resistless  fascination  to  the 
responsive  Jewish  quality — a  faculty  that  was  often  the  cause 
of  many  a  Jewish  aberration  dearly  paid  for.  This  cannot 
justly  be  insinuated  against  our  Philo,  who,  with  all  his  love 
for  Hellenic  culture,  was  to  the  very  core  an  enthusiastic 
Jew — a  distinction  he  placed  above  every  other. 

The  great  distance  between  our  thinker  and  those  of  Hellas, 
whom  he  courted  and  utilized,  is  his  absolute  postulate,  that 
God  is  The  Being  whom  human  intellect  can  neither  fathom 


156 

in  quality  nor  in  quantity,  nor  in  time,  nor  in  space,  He  being 
indefinable,  eternal,  immutable,  the  simplest  of  the  simple,  the 
greatest  of  the  great,  freer  than  the  freest,  better  than  the 
best,  more  perfect  than  perfection.     In  fact,  Philo's  vocabu- 
lary, pure  and  classical  as  it  is,  appears  to  forsake  him  the  mo- 
ment he  attempts  to  express  his  conception  of  Deity  and  His 
inexpressible  attributes.37   To  know  the  God  of  Moses  and  His 
Will  is  to  him  the  highest  wisdom,  and  this  no  works  body 
forth  in  such  a  perfection  as  the  Mosaic  Books,  which  but  few 
ever  read  as  he  did,  seeing  therein  revelations  of  hitherto  un- 
dreamt of  mysteries ;  reflected,  it  is  true,  in  the  ideal  musings 
of  non-Jewish  minds,  but  nowhere  found  as  absolutely  perfect 
as  in  the  work  of  God's  only  inspired  oracle,  Moses.     Twelve 
centuries  later  the  hazy  Kabbalist  does  in  a  less  luminous  way 
throw  similar  streaks  of  light  on  his  dim  horizon.    Philo's  idea 
of  God  is  so  high  that  he  thinks  it  absolutely  impossible  for 
human  thought  and  speech  to  express  trhat  He  is,  but  that  the 
utmost  we  may  do  is  to  say  ivhat  He  is  not,  for  definition  cannot 
define  what  the  mind  cannot  conceive.     Now,  considering  that 
man  finds  it  next  to  impossible  to  clearly  define  the  universe, 
how  could  he  define  or  comprehend  God,  who,  as  the  Talmud 
teaches,  contains  the  universe  in  Him,  but  is  not  fully  contained 
therein  \ — Mark  the  origin  of  the  Zohar\$  En-Soph. — The  prob- 
lem that  here  faces  our  transcendental  philosopher  is:  How 
God,  being  absolutely  indescribable,  devoid  of  all  quantity  and 
quality,  could  create  worlds  and  things  describable  and  defin- 
able ;  how  things  gross  and  transitory  could  spring  from  Him, 
the  Most  Perfect?     This  chasm  between  God  the  absolutely 
transcendental  and  His  creations  and  creatures  grading  down 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  and  most  imperfect,  is  philo- 
sophically bridged  over  by  the  assumption  of  Divine  ideas — 
which  Fichte  adopts — and  forces  which,  wholly  distinct  from 
the  perfect  personality  of  God,  serve  as  connecting  links  be- 
tween Him  and  the  less  perfect  wonderfully  graded  universe. 
These  Philonic  active  ideas  or  forces  are  the  Sephiroth  of  the 


37  The  four  Aristotelian  principles,  matter,  form,  efficient  cause,  and  end, 
together  with  that  potentiality  the  "father  of  logic"  illustrates  by  the 
germ  in  which  all  the  parts  of  the  tree  are  contained,  are,  it  will  be 
realized,  no  approximation  to  Philo's  transcendental  God. 


157 

Kabbalist,  who,  we  need  not  say,  scarcely  improved  upon  or 
brightened  np  matters.  Like  the  Sephiroth,  Philo's  Divine  ideas 
or  forces  are  the  names  of  Divine  primordial  thoughts,  which 
preceded  all  creation  of  the  visible,  translating  themselves  into 
the  material  universe,  acting,  in  a  word,  as  agents  or  ministers 
of  The  Most  High,  which  is  another  substantial  difference  be- 
tween Hebrew  and  Hellenic  thought.  For  Greek  philosophy 
fails  to  establish  a  positive  connection  between  what  it  denomi- 
nates the  Logos,  the  ideas  emanating  therefrom,  and  the  things 
which  are  the  visible  forms  of  those  ideas.  The  angels  Philo 
refers  to  are  the  Divine  ideas  as  executive  messengers,  which  is 
in  itself  nothing  original  with  him,  it  being  a  Talmudic  idea, 
that  daily  ministering  angels  spring  into  existence  from  the 
mysterious  river  Dinor,  and,  having  performed  their  assigned 
tasks,  vanish  again.  In  Greek  philosophy  the  Logos  is  the 
supreme  thought,  or  Reason,  the  origin  of  all  other  reason, 
which  last  Aristotle  assumes  to  have  individual  existence  on 
earth  before  it  inhabits  the  human  body.  With  Philo,  the 
Logos  is  the  Reason,  the  Wisdom  of  The  Supreme,  giving  rise 
to  all  other  operative  intelligence.  Herein,  again,  Philo  rises 
toto  coelo  over  his  Greek  models  of  thought. 

The  cause,  as  well  as  the  ultimate  object  of  this  material 
divergence  from  thinkers  he  reveres,  is  Philo's  endeavor  to 
harmonize  the  noblest  results  of  Hellenic  civilization  with  the 
sublimest  ideal  of  Hebraic  Theosophy.  Tims,  with  the  inex- 
pressible Infinite  at  the  basis  of  all  things,  his  Logos  or 
Reason  as  the  source  of  all  thought  and  a  multitude  of  sub- 
ordinate ideas  or  forces  which  emanate  from  that  Supernal 
Reason,  Philo  proceeds  to  show  how  Jewish  cosmogony 
sustains  his  philosophy,  and  how  our  Genesis  is  the  only  one 
philosophically  compatible  with  the  most  spiritual  of  Theos- 
ophies.  Philo  is  a  hard  nut  for  the  trinitarian  Church  to 
crack,  and  from  whatever  standpoint  we  look  at  him  he  is  de- 
cidedly a  nobler  and  more  consistent  figure  than  Spinoza,  who 
is  all  the  time  pantheistic,  often  belligerent,  aye  vindictive, 
and,  at  times,  painfully  insincere  and  unjust.38     Philo   is   a 

38  Spinoza's  flattering  allusions  to  Jesus  have  no  cleaner  motive  than 
his  vindictive  utterances  against  the  Jews,  whose  fanatic  rage  against 
him  he  would  have  honored  himself  by  treating  as  a  philosopher. 


158 

serene,  peaceful,  yet  firm,  nature ;  deep  and  loyal,  ready  to 
recognize  the  best  wherever  he  meets  it,  and  utilizing  it  for 
the  highest  ends  ;  a  dreamer  par  excellence,  an  enthusiastic 
philosopher,  loving  Judaism  the  more  because  to  him  it  is  the 
inspired  oracle  of  humanity  he  loves  not  less,  eager  to  persuade 
mankind  that  Israel's  God  was  and  ever  will  be  the  Father  of 
all  men.  How  he  labors  to  teach  the  Jews  what  is  best  in 
Hellenic  culture,  and  to  persuade  the  Greeks  that  Israel's  God 
is  better  and  greater  than  what  they  deem  the  best  and  the 
greatest.  To  read  Scripture  with  Philo's  eye,  is  it  not  reading 
the  heavens  with  the  soul  of  Copernicus,  Newton,  and  Her- 
schel  ?  Genius  is  both  the  light  in  which  we  are  taught  to 
study  and  the  sight  with  which  we  are  endowed  to  see  things. 
Like  sweet  maidenhood,  truth  and  nature  reveal  not  their 
charms  to  him  who  would  not  woo.  Thinking  is  courting  truth. 
Look  at  the  ocean ;  is  it  no  more  than  a  vast  expanse  of  water  ? 
Why  is  the  poet's  soul  thrilled  at  its  sight  ?  Plato  thinks  that 
there  is  a  "  divine  madness  "  of  which  the  philosopher  alone  is 
possessed.  His  mind  has  wings,  leading  him  into  the  sanctuary 
of  truth,  revealing  to  him  what  is  hidden  from  the  vulgar.  The 
sight  of  beauty  and  grandeur  enkindles  his  thought,  which  in 
turn  renders  a  glimpse  at  wisdom  unrobed  possible,  and  wis- 
dom is  lovely  beyond  expression.  But  how  many  have  sight  ? 
The  stars  are  there,  symbols  written  with  the  finger  of  God, 
but  unmeaning  to  the  uninspired  soul.  Multitudinous  nature  is 
there,  mirroring  heavens  all  around,  a  world  of  emblems  one 
of  thousands  stops  to  decipher.  Our  Scriptures  are  there — of 
late  the  arena  of  learned  gladiators,  brandishing  their  weapons 
of  lead  in  face  of  Zodiac's  mystic  figures.  Give  eyes  to  the 
blind-born  ?  You  may  as  well  teach  harmony  to  the  deaf. 
The  instrument  is  there  in  which  symphony  slumbers.  The 
untutored  touch  brings  forth  dissonance;  the  master's  stroke 
conjures  ravishing  notes.  The  harmony  must  be  in  the  soul  or 
it  is  nowhere.  This  age  is  out  of  harmony  with  self,  with 
nature,  and  with  God.  Letter-worship,  and  ether-worship,  and 
fancy-worship,  and  mammon-worship,  and  vanity-worship,  and 
idol-worship,  and  no  worship  characterize  a  time  when  any- 
body and  anything  are  more  than  everybody  and  everything 


159 

to  self,  so  self-sufficient,  so  all-knowing  and  all-seeing,  that 
they  do  not  see  the  forest  for  its  multitude  of  trees ;  an  age 
that  knows  not  how  little  it  knows.  Philo  had  eyes  and  heart 
to  see  and  feel,  and  his  power  consisted  in  his  profound  rev- 
erence for  an  inspired  work,  the  like  of  which  the  world  has 
never  produced  ;  his  threefold  strength  was  made  up  of  faith, 
reverence,  and  thought;  a  type  of  man  frequent  in  Israel. 
Philo  believes,  reveres,  and  thinks,  free  from  any  other  dream 
save  the  one  which,  in  priest,  prophet,  and  sage,  matures  into 
an  unshaken  conviction — One  God,  one  universe,  one  mankind, 
one  people  of  Israel,  whose  one  and  only  mission  is  to  make 
Jehovah  The  God  of  all. 

It  should  be  noted  that  Philo's  Logos,  as  a  creative  influence, 
is  a  power  entirely  distinct  from  God,  and  is  not  to  be  con- 
founded with  the  "  demiurge  "  of  the  Gnostics.  Philo's  "  Di- 
vine Sophia "  is  a  philosophic  translation  of  that  primordial 
formative  Wisdom  so  explicitly  discussed  in  the  contemplative 
Books  of  the  Old  Testament,  such  as  Job,  Proverbs,  Ecclesias- 
ticus,  and  Wisdom.  Wisdom  speaks  of  self,  "  The  Lord  cre- 
ated me  as  the  beginning  of  His  way,  the  first  of  His  works 
from  the  commencement."  Again,  "  Before  the  mountains 
were  yet  founded,  before  the  hills,  was  I  brought  forth."  Job 
speaks  of  Wisdom  as  the  mysterious  power  whose  way  God 
alone  sees.  In  a  moment  of  intense  spiritual  longing,  Moses 
pathetically  prays,  "  Let  me,  I  pray  Thee,  behold  Thy  Glory," 
and  "  Let  me,  I  pray  Thee,  behold  Thy  ways."  The  answer  is 
"  Thou  canst  not  see  My  face,  for  no  man  can  see  Me  and 
live."  A  glimpse  at  the  "  back  parts  "  is  all  that  is  granted. 
There  is  a  depth  of  thought  and  of  symbol  in  these  few 
words  which  must  inspire  the  highest  mind  with  awe  and 
wonder.  Moses  is  not  denied  the  sight  of  Wisdom,  the  re- 
flection of  Divine  Glory,  but  the  fullness  thereof  he  never  can 
see  while  alive  ;  a  clear  hint  therein  of  what  is  reserved  for 
man  after  death.  This  leading  thought  underlies  Philo's 
philosophy.  In  the  act  of  creation,  it  is  not  God  Himself 
who  directly  works,  but  His  Logos,  Reason,  or  His  Word,  or 
His  Wisdom  is  the  intermediary  divine  power,  acting  through 
a  multitude  of  ideal  agencies,  ideas,  forces,  angels,  and  demons. 


160 

You  may  discern  herein  the  heavenly  Adam  of  the  Kabbalist, 
with  all  his  Emanations  and  creations.  Neither  does  our  phi- 
losopher, in  his  speculations  and  first  conclusions  as  to  man's 
origin  and  nature,  lose  sight  of  the  Scriptural  text.  There 
is  the  highest  and  the  lowest  wedded  in  human  nature,  im- 
plying a  constant  struggle  within.  Space  is  full  of  pure  souls, 
the  Breath  of  God,  and  those  nearest  earth  are  eager  to  enter 
mortal  bodies,  following  in  this  an  immutable  law.  The  two- 
fold nature  of  man  explains  at  once  the  goal  and  the  trials  of 
life,  the  one  drawing  him  skyward,  the  other  earthward,  thus 
making  his  rise  or  fall  a  matter  of  free  will.  "  See,  I  have 
set  before  you  to-day  life  and  the  good,  death  and  the  evil,"  is 
in  substance  the  groundsill  of  all  moral  philosophy,  translated  . 
by  Plato  into  the  good  and  the  bad  steed,  which  carry  the 
chariot  of  the  winged  soul.  To  overcome  the  sensuous  and 
perfect  the  spiritual  side  of  man's  nature  is  necessarily  the 
leading  idea  of  Philo's,  or  Jewish  ethics.  By  ethical  elevation, 
by  the  triumph  over  the  allurements  and  sensual  indulgences 
of  this  material,  tempting  world,  man  is  to  reascend  to  The 
Original  Source  of  his  higher  being,  Who  is  God.39  Aye, 
virtue,  in  her  ideal  actualization,  enables  man,  even  while  im- 
prisoned in  his  mortal  frame,  to  enjoy  the  blissful  conscious- 
ness of  a  close  affinity  with  his  Creator.  Yet  temptation  and 
earthly  chains  are  stronger  than  man's  will  power  ;  wherefore, 
in  his  ethical  and  religious  endeavors,  he  must  needs  appeal 
for  help  from  on  High.  A  life  triumphantly  closed  in  the 
exercise  of  virtue  and  the  acquisition  of  wisdom  entitles  the 
soul  to  an  immediate  return  to  The  Universal  Spirit.  In  this 
case,  the  dying  hour  is  the  happiest  of  life's  career.  The  dust 
returns  to  the  dust  whence  it  came,  and  the  soul  returns  to 
God,  where  she  belongs.     Failing  in  her  mission  below,  she 

39  This  idea  is  beau tifully  stated  in  Midrashic  lore,  where  it  is  said, 
that  God  will  disport  with  the  righteous  in  Paradise,  who,  on  seeing 
Him,  will  be  startled,  when,  full  of  grace,  He  will  quiet  them  with  the 
assurance  that  He  is  as  one  of  them. 

mix  D'Kn  Dywi  fcoS  Tn;,L>  p;>  jja  D'p'-wn  Dp  h^uh  n'npn  Tny 
-ja^-o  d^tjhtd  D3L?  no  D-p-iv^?  anS  idii**  ropm  rjaSn  dmnjhtdi 


161 

has  to  continue  her  period  of  probation  by  passing  from  one 
body  to  another,  until,  purified,  she  may  return  to  her  original 
empyrean  home.  This  is  evidently  a  concession  made  to  the 
Pythagorean  doctrine,  borrowed  from  Egypt  and  India,  of  the 
soul's  transmigration,  and  known  in  Kabbalistic  terminology 
as  the  gilgul. 

It  is  not  a  small  matter  for  us  to  be  able  to  point  to  such  a 
mighty  mind,  who  antedates  Christianity  and  its  founder,  and 
anticipates  all  its  highest  claims,  including  the  doctrine  of 
eternal  life.  Josephus,  Hillel,  and  Philo  are  three  gigantic 
figures  who,  in  various  ways,  bear  witness  to  Hebraic  ideal- 
ism, circumscribing  and  sounding  that  ocean  of  spiritual  vast- 
ness  which  Judaism  embraces  and  fathoms,  and  whence  flow 
the  less  limpid  and  shallow  rivers  of  its  daughter  creeds. 
Whatever  is  healthy  and  pure  in  their  tides  comes  from  that 
unpolluted  crystal  deep,  fed  by  unbounded  spiritual  streams, 
converging  in  the  Living,  All-Enfolding,  and  Upholding, 
Creating,  and  Sustaining  Fountain-IIead ;  the  turbid,  unclean, 
obnoxious,  and  venomous  therein  is  drawn  from  heathen 
sewers.  Aryan  cosmogonies,  Aryan  gods,  ethics,  theosophies, 
and  philosophies  are  all  on  record ;  so  is  Israel's  life  and 
thought,  his  heart  and  his  soul,  his  history  and  his  God 
there,  unaffected,  aye,  unchanged.  We  challenge  compari- 
son. Let  the  wise  compare;  let  them  judge;  let  them  de- 
cide who  is  the  debtor,  the  teacher,  the  benefactor — of  whom. 
We  waited  long  and  not  vainly ;  we  are  waiting  still,  and  shall 
wait  until,  dazzled  by  the  universal  knowledge  of  God,  man 
will  cast  off  error  and  falsehood  in  all  their  glossy  forms — 
false  creeds,  false  gods,  and  false  priests. 


CHAPTER  X. 

OUR  PHILOSOPHIC  REALITIES. 

In  the  following  paragraphs  we  propose  to  present  a  few 
succinct  ideas  of  our  leading  post-Biblical  thinkers,  thus  con- 
veying a  slight  conception  of  what  may  be  properly  called 
Jewish  philosophy.  Well  may  we  ask  whether  Judaism,  with 
its  all-embracing  Monotheistic  Theosophy  and  a  system  of 
humanitarian  ethics,  is  seriously  in  need  of  any  philosophy  or 
Theology  to  idealize  it.  Our  answer  must  be  in  the  negative, 
since  revealed  religion  necessarily  precludes  rationalistic  or 
speculative  subtilization,  appealing  to  intuition,  not  to  reason, 
as  a  basis  for  further  development.  Jewish  philosophy  is, 
therefore,  logically  considered,  a  philosophy  of  interpretation, 
not  one  resting  on  hypothesis.  In  this  Philo  leads.  His 
fundamental  thesis — which  is  that  of  the  Jewish  Alexandrian 
school — is,  God  being  Eternal,  the  universe  being  His  work, 
and  revealed  Scripture  teaching  His  will,  how  are  we  to 
understand  all  these  things  ?  If  Greek  thought  agrees  with 
the  Sacred  Records,  there  was  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  Aris- 
tobulus  and  Philo,  that  the  harmony  was  due  to  Hebraism 
being  the  mother  of  ideal  Hellenism.  Jewish  speculation  be- 
gins, text  in  hand,  as  it  were,  its  foundation  being  the  Divine 
Word  as  revealed.  Yet  this  thesis,  limited  as  it  appears,  is,  in 
reality,  so  vast  in  scope  that,  instead  of  chaining  free  thought, 
all  thought  is  amazed  at  the  very  contemplation  of  the  stu- 
pendous theme  wherein  God,  eternity,  infinity,  apart  from 
everything  therein  perceivable  and  unperceivable,  are  central 
ideas.  Thus  is  the  subject  and  the  object  of  Jewish  phi- 
losophy well  defined.  God,  the  universe,  and  man  therein  be- 
ing facts,  what  is  their  relation  to  each  other  ?  What  is  the 
goal  of  human  life  here  below?  Is  revelation  explicit  in 
satisfying  progressive  thought  ?     It  is  plainly  evident  to  him, 

(163) 


164 

says  Philo,  who  penetrates  the  spirit  of  the  Divine  Word,  in 
which  all  human  thought  and  much  more  is  contained.  Set- 
tled in  this  respect,  Jewish  philosophy  thenceforth  proceeds  to 
assimilate  whatever  is  compatible  with  its  unshaken  postulates. 
Thus,  whenever  there  was  misinterpretation  or  misunderstand- 
ing touching  Scriptural  lore,  to  undeceive  the  vulgar  and  the 
letter- worshiper,  the  Jewish  philosopher  interposed  reason  or 
allegory,  sometimes  availing  himself  of  non-Jewish  thought 
to  show  how  truth,  found  elsewhere,  was  but  a  faint  reflex 
of  truth  revealed  to  Israel.  In  this  way  did  the  mediaeval 
and  modern  Jewish  thinker  often  fulfill  the  mission  of  the 
ancient  prophet.  Seeing  the  Jewish  mind  incline  toward 
dead,  stagnant  forms,  substituting  a  new  kind  of  idolatry  for 
the  living  Word  of  God,  to  be  adapted  to  the  needs  of  all 
times  and  conditions,  he  hastened  to  disabuse  it  by  separating 
the  dross  from  the  gold,  and  by  eliminating  the  gross  and 
superstitious  from  the  spiritual  beauties  hidden  in  the  Sacred 
Text. 

The  gaon  Saadia,  who  flourished  during  the  first  half  of  the 
ninth  century,  is  a  type  of  the  kind  we  are  referring  to. 
President  of  the  academy  of  Sura,  and  venerated  not  alone 
on  account  of  his  extensive  scholarship,  but  more  so  on  ac- 
count of  the  highest  manly  virtues,  Saadia's  genius  astonishes 
the  student  of  Jewish  thought.  Blind  faith  and  literal  read- 
ing of  the  Scriptures  Saadia  rejects  as  unworthy  of  a  true,  in- 
telligent Israelite.  His  conviction  is  that  the  Jew  is  in  duty 
bound  to  apply  reason  in  examining  matters  of  creed — reason 
standing,  in  his  judgment,  next  to  Revelation  in  its  ability  to 
reach  truth,  though  its  success  in  trying  to  reach  that  goal  be 
tardy,  toilsome,  and  gradual,  while  Revelation  is  a  free  Divine 
gift  bestowed  on  mankind.  Commenting  on  the  Pentateuch, 
Saadia  does  not  hesitate  to  allegorize  the  most  unaccountable 
miracles,  such  as  the  speaking  of  the  serpent  to  Eve,  or  the 
dialogue  that  is  recorded  as  having  occurred  between  Balaam 
and  his  mule.  Satan  among  the  heavenly  powers,  as  spoken 
of  in  Job,  is  an  allegory.  In  short,  like  Philo,  Saadia  finds 
every  noble  thought  and  the  sum  of  all  idealism  in  the  Old 
Testament,  making  all  knowledge  at  his  disposal  tributary  to 


165 

this  Book  of  books,  the  Truth  of  truths,  llai,  a  later  gaon, 
is  one  of  Saadia's  loyal  and  worth}7  followers.  In  a  true 
Philonic  spirit  llai  symbolizes  every  idea  conflicting  with  sane 
reason.  "There  is  no  doubt,"  says  this  gaon,  "that  The  Al- 
mighty cannot  be  compared  with  any  other  being  or  spirit. 
He  being  far  removed  from  all  manifestations  of  human  na- 
ture— such  as  weeping,  laughing,  joy,  or  anger — so  that  every 
allusion  of  our  sages,  in  this  sense,  must  not  be  taken  in  its 
literal  meaning,  but  is  intended  as  an  illustration  or  simile 
drawn  from  things  perceivable  to  the  eye.  Thus,  when  the 
Torah  speaks  of  God's  hand,  wrath,  and  eye,  it  is  only  by 
way  of  parable,  according  to  the  speech  of  man."  And  this 
llai'  was  the  head  of  a  great  Jewish  school,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  eleventh  century. 

We  have  had  a  word  of  Avicebron  under  the  name  of  Ibn 
Gabirol,  as  a  poet  of  ethereal  wing.  We  are  now  going  to 
know  him  as  a  thinker  of  the  highest  grade,  whose  works,  ap- 
pearing in  the  eleventh  century,  had  a  great  influence  on  phil- 
osophic speculation  for  many  succeeding  ages.  Avicebron's 
system  seems  in  many  vital  points  to  be  the  original,  after 
which  Giordano  Bruno,  excepting  the  Italian's  lack  of  rever- 
ence, shaped  his  philosophy.  To  Avicebron  Theology  has  a 
threefold  object :  to  obtain  knowledge  of  matter  and  form ;  to 
recognize  the  Divine  Will  or  creative  Word ;  and  to  secure 
some  comprehension  of  the  Supreme  Divine  Unity,  Who  un- 
derlies all  variety  of  spirit,  matter,  and  form.  Perfect  knowl- 
edge of  God  is  impossible ;  the  imperfect  possessing  no  means 
to  conceive  of  the  most  perfect.  By  His  Will  the  Infinite  is 
related  to,  and  operates  on,  the  finite.  The  relation  of  all  cre- 
ations and  creatures  to  the  Creator  is  regulated  by  the  Divine 
intermediary — Wisdom.  This  is  the  necessary  Jewish  basis. 
All  matter  springs  from  one  universal  matter  ;  all  form  from 
one  universal  form  ;  all  souls  come  from  One  Universal  Soul. 
There  is  a  gradation  in  the  scale  of  being,  beginning  with  the 
lowest  and  grossest,  the  clod  and  the  element,  the  plant  and 
the  animal,  and  rising  to  the  highest,  the  Divine  Will  or 
Unity.  The  links  which  make  up  the  metaphysical  chain  be- 
tween the  lowest  and  the  highest  are :  the  principle  of  motion 


166 

in  material  things ;  the  vegetative  soul,  as  that  of  the  vegeta- 
ble kingdom ;  the  vital  soul,  as  that  of  the  animal  kingdom, 
except  man ;  the  rational  soul  like  that  of  man  ;  and  the  Un- 
bounded Intellect,  which  fills  all  space,  and  is  the  Will  of  the 
Supreme.  From  this  highest  Source  goes  forth  all  activity, 
life,  and  inspiration,  the  lower  in  the  scale  being  influenced  by 
the  one  immediately  above  and  so  on,  until  all  infinity  is  con- 
trolled by  the  All-Containing  Divine  Unity. — Is  not  this  prin- 
ciple of  Divine  Unity  in  universal  variety  all  that  Bruno  of 
the  sixteenth  century  has  to  tell  us  ?  Bruno's  causa  immanes, 
the  only  primordial  principle,  the  God,  who  is  the  beginning, 
the  middle,  and  the  end ;  the  Whole,  the  Eternal,  the  Infinite, 
Free,  Living,  Active,  and  Creative  Intelligence,  is  the  Divine 
Unity  of  Philo  and  Ibn  Gabirol.  So  is  his  living  cosmos  per- 
meated and  inspired  by  the  One  of  Israel. 

On  perceiving  the  latest  tendency  of  empirical  science  and 
speculative  thought  to  trace  variety  to  unity,  do  we  not  see  an 
old  system  in  a  new  dress?  There  is  a  change  in  terminology, 
not  in  substance.  A  good  deal  of  what  is  passing  as  original 
with  the  moderns,  has  been  anticipated  by  Jewish  thought. 
Having  made  the  acquaintance  of  Avicebron,  we  turn  to  Car- 
lyle,  Emerson,  and  others,  and  what  do  we  discern?  An  en- 
deavor to  show  that  we  are  waking  and  sleeping,  musing  and 
dreaming,  in  the  bosom  of  Unbounded  Intelligence ;  that  we 
are  what  we  have  made  of  self ;  shall  be  what  we  are  aspiring 
to ;  that  every  one  is  a  world  in  self  to  self ;  that  all  selves  are 
traceable  to  One  Universal  Self ;  and  stone,  tree,  brute,  man, 
and  star  are  all  correlated,  varying  in  form,  grade,  and  ap- 
pearance, not  in  substance,  nor  in  goal.  If  Philo  and  Avice- 
bron did  not  say  all  this,  what  did  they  teach  ?  The  Jew  has 
taught  all  that  ages  before. 

When  we  turn  to  the  philosophical  reflections  of  our  sweet, 
gentle  bard,  Jehudah  Halevy,  we  find  them  less  deep  than 
those  of  Philo  and  of  Ibn  Gabirol ;  but  they  breathe  the  ten- 
derest  of  feelings  and  the  convictions  of  a  heart  elevated  by 
profound  reverence,  purified  by  suffering,  and  callous  to  mar- 
tyrdom. Halevy  sees  in  Israel  the  religious  heart  of  all  the 
nations,  the  most  precious,  yet  most  delicate  organ  exposed  all 


167 

around  to  danger,  but  strong  enough  to  sustain  itself  success- 
fully.    The  end  of  Israel's  martyrdom  is  to  try  him  and  to 
strengthen  his  faith  ;  to  rid  the  gold  of  its  dross,  and  thus  pre- 
serve it  for  the  benefit  of  humanity.     Our  revealed  religion  is 
but  a  development  of  natural  religion,  and  favors  neither  as- 
ceticism nor  sensualism,  but  is  intended  to  supply  all  our  fac- 
ulties with  the  healthy  nutrition  which  furthers  the  harmoni- 
ous development  of  all  our  being.     Judaism  approves  only  of 
such  worship  as  springs  from  a  combined  sentiment  of  rever- 
ence, love,  and  joy  ;  and  it  attaches  no  more  importance  to  the 
Day  of  Atonement  than  to  the  Feast  of  Kejoicing.     Israel's 
faith  is  based  either  on  Sinaitic  Kevelation,  or  on  later  author- 
ities, who,  in  enacting  laws,  were  prompted  by  surrounding 
conditions.     In  order  to  secure  the  salutary  development  and 
application  of    the    Divine  Law,  it   is   allowed   to    interpret 
Scripture,  but  wisely,  and  to  enact  new  laws   if    necessary. 
Only  the    untutored   are   forbidden  to  change   aught  in  the 
Law ;  not  so  the  learned,  who  will  never  act  against  the  spirit 
of  Kevelation.     The  sufferings  of  Israel  prove  nothing  either 
against  his  future  or  his  great  mission,  considering  that  Chris- 
tians as  well  as  Moslems  are  glorying  in  their  martyrs  who  will- 
ingly endured  shame,  torture,  and  death.     Would  not  a  word, 
a  change  of  confession,  render  us  the  equals  of  our  oppressors  % 
But  the  Jew  prefers  martyrdom  to  treason,  ever  loyal  to  his 
Providential    appointment.     While    suffering    in    dispersion, 
Israel  resembles  the  buried  seed  hidden  in  the  soil  in  order  to 
assimilate  the  ingredients  necessary  to  its  sustenance.     Christi- 
anity and  Islamism  are  both  harbingers  of  the  Messianic  era. 
Such  are  a  few  of  our  poet's  reflections  found  in  his  Cuzari, 
the  well-known  imaginary  dialogue  a  Jewish  scholar  is  assumed 
to  have  held  with  the  king  of  the  Chazars,  a  Tartar  tribe,  who, 
having  examined  the  doctrines  of  the  three  great  religions, 
gave  preference  to  Judaism.     Heine   calls  Halevy  "a   great 
poet,  a  star,  a  luminary  of  his  time ;  his  songs  formed  a  pillar 
of   light,  preceding   Israel   in   the   wilderness  of  his  exile." 
Generous  was  the  heart  that,  sighing  under  the  weight  of  the 
oppressions  of  an   unrighteous   Church,   accorded  it  a  noble 
mission  on  earth — a  sentiment  also  expressed  by  Maimonides. 


168 

A  bolder  figure  in  the  fields  of  Jewish  free  thought,  is 
Abraham  Ibn  Ezra,  the  famous  poet,  philosopher,  mathema- 
tician, and  grammarian.  His  was  the  daring  task  to  pave  the 
way  to  modern  Biblical  criticism,  though  we  are  not  aware 
that  due  credit  has  been  given  him  in  that  province.  Neither 
Renan,  nor  Wellhausen,  nor  any  other  of  the  Bible  dissectorB 
has  dealt  with  more  frankness  and  hardiness  than  Ibn  Ezra  in 
subjecting  matters  thought  before  infallible  to  the  test  of  a 
critical  analysis.  No  obscure  point  in  the  Pentateuch  escapes 
his  notice,  and  his  criticism  is  sufficiently  plain ;  so  plain,  in- 
deed, that  his  co-religionists  found  cause  to  suspect  his  ortho- 
doxy ;  a  suspicion  which  for  a  long  time  denied  him  a  settled, 
peaceful  existence,  for  poor  Ibn  Ezra  was  in  the  truest  sense 
a  wandering  Jew. — Ibn  Ezra  claims  more  regard  for  the  un- 
derstanding of  the  heart — njn  aSu  vr  "2 — than  for  many  an 
obscure  doctrine  sound  common  sense  is  at  a  loss  to  compre- 
hend. He  stoutly  maintains  that  reason  is  the  link  between 
God  and  man,  that  the  Law  was  not  given  to  the  uninstructed, 
and  that  rational  interpretation  of  the  Divine  Word  was  the 
bulwark  of  Judaism.40  We  are  not  permitted  here  to  show 
the  critical  insight  of  this  great  genius,  who  sacrificed  bodily 
peace  to  mental  freedom.  Ibn  Ezra  is  the  embodiment  of 
Jewish  rationalism,  fearless,  deep,  sharp,  daring,  uncompro- 
mising, speaking  his  mind,  come  what  may.  His  misfortune 
was  to  have  been  eight  centuries  in  advance  of  his  time.  Such 
a  versatility  of  genius  has  never  since  been  met  in  one  and 
the  same  person  ;  no,  not  even  in  Voltaire  and  Goethe,  whose 
greater  and  better  chances  were  their  only  distinction,  in  face 
of  poor,  wandering  Ibn  Ezra.41 

.ibDW  Kin  vrhx  pi  dik  p  ixSoni,  iS  njn  pa  ^wxh  minn  rum  ab40 

41  Whether  Ibn  Ezra's  adventure  in  Jehudah  Halevy's  house— where, 
by  finishing  a  poem  of  his  hospitable  friend,  he  was  recognized  as  the 
famous  Ibn  Ezra  and  secured  the  hand  of  Halevy's  beauteous  daugh- 
ter_be  true  or  not,  appears  to  us  of  less  importance  than  the  testimony 
Maimonides  bears  to  his  scholarship  and  character.  For  in  writing  to 
his  son  Abraham,  Maimonides  urges  him  to  waste  no  time  in  reading 
commentators,  except  Ibn  Ezra's,  whose  writings  "are  most  valuable 
and  useful  to  all  who  understand  them  ;  for  his  works  require  diligent 
study,  profound  meditation,  and  persevering  assiduity  ;  but  they  richly 


169 

Almost  contemporaneous  with  Ibn  Ezra  lived  and  worked 
that  giant  laborer  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  Moses  ben 
Maimon,  or,  as  he  is  popularly  known  and  revered,  Maimonides, 
the  physician  of  the  Sultan  Saladin,  and  the  greatest  authority 
in  mediaeval  Judaism  ;  a  powerful  individuality  whose  influence 
over  his  people  extends  even  down  to  this  day.42  The  mere 
fact,  that  Spinoza  and  Mendelssohn  received  their  first  philo- 
sophical impetus  from  a  study  of  that  great  light  in  Israel, 


deserve  the  labor  that  is  bestowed  on  them,  for  deep  and  extensive 
knowledge  is  the  reward  of  him  who  makes  himself  master  of  the  pre- 
cious stores  with  which  they  abound.  I  myself  confess  that  I  am  deeply 
indebted  to  Ibn  Ezra  for  the  light  which,  through  his  aid,  I  have  ob- 
tained, and  the  clear  view  which  he  has  given  me  of  many  obscure 
passages  in  Sacred  Scripture."  Maimonides  assures  his  son  that  Ibn 
Ezra  was  "animated  by  the  same  spirit  of  truth  as  our  father  Abraham ; 
that '  he  neither  fears  nor  flatters  any  man,'  nor  allows  fallacy  to  shelter 
behind  the  great  fame  of  its  author,  but  has  'one  object  in  view,  namely, 
truth.'" 

**  In  proof  of  Jewish  sullen  resistance  to  all  intrusion  from  without, 
and  the  rigid  isolation  of  Israel  among  idolatrous  and  trinitarian  nations, 
Gibbon  remarks  that  "  the  wise,  the  humane  Maimonides  openly  teaches 
that  if  an  idolater  fall  into  the  water,  a  Jew  ought  not  to  save  him  from 
instant  death."  In  justice  to  truth  we  beg  to  quote  these  lines  of  that 
same  Maimonides :  "  Every  Israelite  ought  to  treat  the  resident  Gentile 
in  civil  intercourse  precisely  as  he  would  treat  a  brother  Israelite.  We 
are  commended  to  sustain  their  wants ;  we  are  enjoined^to  visit  their 
sick,  to  bury  their  dead,  to  distribute  charity  among  their  poor  as  well 
as  to  the  destitute  brethren  of  our  faith,  for  the  sake  of  peace."  And 
the  grand  Sanhedrin  convened  by  Napoleon  unanimously  declared: 
"That  by  virtue  of  the  Mosaic  Law  given  to  Israel's  seed,  they  are  at 
all  times  held  to  consider  as  brethren  all  men  who  acknowledge  God 
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  those  among  whom  they  enjoy  the 
advantages  of  civil  society,  or  only  the  benefits  of  hospitality  ;  that  the 
Sacred  Law  commands  us  to  love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves ;  that  in 
consequence  of  this  doctrine,  concerning  which  there  exists  not  the  least 
dispute  among  the  Rabbis  whose  authority  we  recognize  and  with  which 
every  Hebrew,  who  arrives  at  a  mediocre  knowledge  of  his  religion 
becomes  conversant,  it  is  our  unqualified  duty  to  love,  aid,  and  protect 
our  countrymen,  and  to  behave  toward  them  in  every  civil  and  moral 
respect  as  if  they  were  adherents  to  the  Law  of  Moses."  It  should  be 
borne  in  mind  that  this  was  the  explicit  declaration  of  a  grand  body  of 
strictly  orthodox  Jews.  How  long  will  it  take  before  a  body  of  orthodox 
Gentile  priests  will  reach  similar  conclusions? 


170 

ought  to  be  sufficient  to  put  Maiinonides  in  the  Parthenon  of 
the  noblest  thinkers.  This  Moses  was,  in  a  measure,  the  second 
powerful  law-giver  in  Jewish  history  ;  for  he  virtually  brought 
about  a  renaissance  in  Hebrew  literature  and  thought.  It 
being  beyond  the  set  compass  of  this  work  to  discuss  the  de- 
batable effect  his  vast  compendium  entitled  the  Yad  Hacha- 
zakah,  or  MishnS  Torah  produced  on  the  legal  and  ritualistic 
growth  of  rabbinical  Judaism,  we  shall  confine  our  notes  to  a 
brief  mention  of  his  leading  philosophic  work,  the  More.li 
H 'annebuclrim,  or  "  Guide  of  the  Perplexed."  Before  quoting 
a  few  lines  to  indicate  the  spirit  of  that  great  effort,  it  should 
be  noticed  that,  like  Philo  and  Ibn  Gabirol,  Maimonides  un- 
dertook to  harmonize  Jewish  and  Hellenic  ideas,  Aristotle 
being  his  principal  authority  beyond  Judaism ;  so  much  so  that 
he  has  been  accused  of  placing  that  wise  Greek  above  Moses. 
Like  Philo,  Maimonides  professes  deep  reverence  for  Greek 
philosophy,  and,  like  him,  he  is  a  Jew  to  the  very  core  of  his 
heart,  seeing  in  the  Old  Testament  the  Divine  Revelation,  full 
of  symbols,  mysteries,  and  the  only  source  of  ethical  idealism. 
We  have  elsewhere  shown  how  Maimonides  interprets  the 
advent  of  Messiah ;  the  following  ideas  are  drawn  from  his 
"  Guide  of  the  Perplexed."  In  his  concluding  lines  to  the 
forty-seventh  chapter  of  the  second  part  of  the  Moreh,  Mai- 
monides, after  referring  to  the  habitual  error  of  man  who  takes 
literally  such  phrases  as  the  "  gates  of  heaven,"  or  the  "  skies 
opened,"  emphatically  observes,  "  Use  thy  intelligence  in  study- 
ing things  and  you  will  soon  learn  to  distinguish  between  what 
has  been  taught  by  metaphor,  by  hyperbole,  by  allegory,  and 
by  the  literal  sense  originally  implied  in  the  wording  as  it  ap- 
pears. Prophecy  will  then  become  lucid  to  your  conception  ; 
your  doctrines  will  be  reasonable  and  acceptable  to  the  Lord  ; 
for  truth  alone  is  welcome  to  God,  to  Whom  falsehood  is  hate- 
ful." This  is  an  urgent  appeal  to  the  reasoning  faculty  of  an 
age  in  which  the  dead  forms  and  meaningless  ceremonies 
usurped  the  throne  of  individual  free  thought.  To  Maimon- 
ides "  prophecy  is  a  Divine  emanation,  endowing  reason,  feel- 
ing, and  fancy  with  a  superior  degree  of  spiritual  energy,  per- 
spicacity, and  vivacity.     It  is  the  highest  state  of  the  imagina- 


171 

tive  faculty.  The  prophets  had  no  other  calling  than  that  of 
upholding  the  Mosaic  Law,  and  of  furthering  its  principles. 
The  prophets  had  to  be  ideal  men,  prepared  to  speak  truth 
even  in  face  of  death.  As  they  received  inspiration  by  dreams 
and  visions,  they  must  needs  have  been  possessed  of  great  im- 
aginative faculties ;  yet  the  reality  of  their  prophetic  percep- 
tion was  subject  to  no  doubt  whatever,  since  their  conviction 
imparted  strength  to  their  spiritual  ecstasy." 

Maimonides  defines  evil  as  nothing  positive  save  "  the  ab- 
sence of  the  good."  "  Those  evils  which  man  inflicts  on  man 
are  the  result  of  ignorance,  which  is  the  absence  of  science.. 
Just  as  the  blind,  unguided,  hurt  themselves  and  others,  so  are 
the  ignorant  inflicting  sufferings  on  one  another,  which  are 
hard  to  endure.  The  recognition  of  truth  alone  causes  hatred 
to  disappear.  The  vulgar  imagine  that  there  is  more  evil  than 
good  in  the  world.  Every  fool  imagines  the  universe  to  exist 
for  him  only,  and,  his  wishes  continuing  unfulfilled,  he  con- 
cludes that  all  being  is  bad.  In  reality,  however,  the  vast 
aggregate  of  humanity  amounts  to  very  little  in  face  of  the 
immense  universe.  Man  is  largely  the  author  of  his  own  mis- 
fortune. Through  our  own  weakness  we  are  often  obliged  to 
appeal  for  help.  The  virtuous  and  the  cultured  realize  the 
Wisdom  that  upholds  the  universe ;  they,  too,  yielding  to  the 
physical  demands  or  cravings  of  the  body,  endeavor  to  satisfy 
them  by  securing  bread  to  eat  and  a  garment  to  cover  one's 
self,  without  courting  the  superfluous.  What  man  needs  is 
air,  water,  and  food,  all  of  which  nature  supplies  in  abundance 
and  at  a  low  price." 

The  perfect  serenity  breathing  through  these  lines  one  does 
not  frequently  meet  in  the  tomes  of  modern  philosophy,  and 
not  too  often  in  those  of  ancient  thought.  Semitic  serenity  is 
of  a  different  type  from  that  of  the  Aryan  ;  it  is  perfectly  un- 
ruffled, without  the  least  undercurrent ;  it  is  the  serenity  of 
the  blue  firmament,  not  that  of  the  apparently  calm,  but  ever 
restless,  ocean.  Behind  the  serenity  of  the  Greek  what  an 
intense  flow  of  passion  ;  what  a  glowing  lava  stream  of  de- 
spair ;  what  a  deep  of  emptiness  and  doubt  !  Plato  hopes, 
more  than  believes,  that  the  soul  is  immortal ;  to  Philo  it  is  a 


172 

positive  fact  that  man  is  deathless,  being  a  part  of  God  Him- 
self, Who  is  to  him  more  of  a  reality  than  earth,  snn,  moon, 
and  stars.  There  is  a  void  in  the  heart  of  the  Aryan  stock, 
which  no  artificial  religion  of  a  mythical  redeemer,  a  crucified 
god,  could  ever  fill.  The  human  soul  is  vaster,  deeper,  and ' 
grander  than  that  untenable  salvation  scheme,  good  enough  to 
mislead  the  credulous,  but  utterly  impotent  to  allay  the  spirit- 
ual thirst  of  thinking  men.  Therefore  does  Schiller  lament 
the  fall  of  the  mythical  gods ;  Voltaire  laughs  and  scoffs  at 
religion  as  he  learned  to  know  her  from  contact  with  her  dis- 
solute representatives ;  therefore  does  Rousseau  reason  himself 
out  of  reason  ;  does  Goethe  long  meditate  self-destruction,  find- 
ing comfort  in  heathen  art  and  immoral  indulgence  ;  therefore 
does  Schopenhauer  see  in  the  suicide  of  the  race  the  only  way 
of  escape  from  a  detestable  universe  and  a  life  that  is  misery. 
And  what  means  Darwin's  subtile  skepticism,  Spencer's  open 
God-defiance,  and  Haeckel's  self-made  creation  ?  It  is  that 
fearful  vacuum  in  the  soul  that  turns  immensity  into  a  terrible 
blank  and  life  into  a  dark  Walpurgis  carnival  of  intoxicating 
lust.  What  a  divine  reconcilement,  that  of  the  Teutonic  Jup- 
iter, the  author  of  "  Faust"  and  "Tasso,"  who,  having  escaped 
suicide,  failed  to  escape  libidinous  pleasures !  A  great  but 
heathen  genius,  heart  and  soul,  is  that  of  Goethe,  with  little 
of  faith,  less  of  ethics,  and  much  of  sterile  skepticism  and 
unholy  verbosity.  In  "  Faust "  you  see  the  author's  very  self, 
mad,  doubting,  hungry,  thirsty,  faithless,  hopeless,  fearing, 
daring,  seeking  and  finding  relief  in  carnal  diversion.  But 
the  void  in  the  soul  remains  as  void  as  ever,  with  nothing 
save  a  mythical  man-god  to  fill  it.  In  vain  do  you  ask  conso- 
lation, light  of  the  Church.  She  points  to  myth  and  miracle  ; 
she  crucifies  reason,  free  thought,  free  speech  ;  she  commends 
ignorance,  blind  faith,  unconditional  obedience ;  she  beatifies 
infamous  inquisitors,  and  dooms  every  rising,  free,  genius  as  a 
foe  to  her  gods.  Why  lose  patience  with  the  invincible  Sem- 
ite, the  Hebrew,  who  during  four  thousand  years  has  endeav- 
ored to  fill  that  hopeless  void  by  planting  therein  his  Omnipo- 
tent God  ?  He  it  was  who  gave  one  Book  to  all  men,  for  all 
times.     Who  did  the  like  ?     From  the  Semite's  loins  sprang 


173 

that  redeemer,  who  has,  alas !  not  yet  redeemed  those  who  are 
in  need  of  redemption.  Oppress,  defame  the  Jew  because  he 
is  loyal  to  conviction  ?  Had  ancient  heathendom  been  successful 
in  extirpating  Israel,  where  would  Christianity,  where  Islam, 
take  their  rise  ?  The  Church,  nobody  can  deny,  had  and  has  a 
mission,  but  she  failed  to  realize  her  love-ideal,  failed  to  verify 
the  least  of  her  Utopias,  while  Judaism  is  an  incontestable  re- 
ality ;  it  is  Judaism.  The  Jew  may  generally  be  said  to  be  a 
Jew  in  theory  as  well  as  in  practice.  Can  the  same  be  gener- 
ally said  of  the  Christian  ?  At  the  beginning  of  the  eight- 
eenth century,  Dean  Swift  painfully  exclaimed,  "We  have 
just  enough  religion  to  make  us  hate,  but  not  enough  to  make 
us  love  one  another."  Denying  the  Fatherhood  of  God  to  all 
mankind,  how  could  the  orthodox  Church  foster  the  brother- 
hood of  man  ?  Good  reason  has  Emerson  to  ask  himself, 
"  whether  we  have  not  lost  by  refinement  some  energy,  by  a 
Christianity  entrenched  in  establishments  and  forms,  some 
vigor  of  wild  virtue.  For  every  Stoic  was  a  Stoic  ;  but  in 
Christendom  where  is  the  Christian?"  Irony  of  history! 
Sounds  of  mercy,  breath  of  love,  deeds  of  hatred  and  blows 
of  death,  how  reconcile  these  ?     Give  us  an  answer  ! 

With  Maimonides  medheval  Jewish  thought  reached  its 
climax,  not  because  of  paucity  of  Jewish  brain,  but  because  of 
the  stagnant  element  in  Israel  that  took  umbrage  at  the  in- 
roads philosophy  had  made  on  orthodoxy.  Symptoms  of  Jew- 
ish disloyalty  were  perceived  in  the  rising  generation ;  at  the 
same  time  a  new  sect  of  mystic  enthusiasts  rallied  round 
teachers  who  promulgated  Kabbalistic  doctrines,  harmless  in 
themselves,  but  threatening  to  undo  that  splendid  ethical  real- 
ism for  which  Judaism  is  distinguished.  That  the  alarm  of 
the  elders  was  not  unfounded,  showed  the  conversion  of  sev- 
eral prominent  Kabbalists  to  Christianity,  having  recognized 
in  the  heavenly  Adam  of  the  Zohar  the  identity  of  Jesus.  A 
convention  of  Jewish  worthies,  presided  over  by  Solomon  Ibn 
Adereth  took  place,  who  decreed  that  the  age  of  twenty-five 
years  alone  entitled  Jewish  youth  to  philosophic  study.  How 
far  Ibn  Adereth  himself  was  from  letter- worship  will  be  seen 
when  it  is  stated  that  he  discarded  the  idea  of  a  supernatural 


174 

Revelation,  assuming  it  to  have  been  nothing  more  than  a 
spiritual  communion,  God  having  revealed  Himself  to  the 
mind,  not  to  the  senses,  of  Moses  and  Israel.  When  it  is 
written  in  the  Torah  that  the  Almighty  told  Moses  He 
would  appear  to  him  in  a  cloud,  so  that  all  the  people  should 
hear  and  forever  believe,  Ibn  Adereth  adds  very  significantly, 
"every  thinker  knows  that  the  hearing  was  not  that  of  the 
ear  but  of  the  soul ;  so  is  the  seeing  spoken  of  on  that  awful 
day,  not  that  of  the  bodily  eye  but  of  the  mind."43  Yet 
when,  five  centuries  later,  Geiger  uttered  the  same  idea,  it  pro- 
voked the  bitterest  sentiments  and  aggressions. 

Nor  does  Ibn  Adereth  stand  alone  in  his  rational  view  of 
what  had  been,  until  then,  considered  the  miracle  of  mira- 
cles, essential  to  the  divinity  of  Revelation.  In  his  philosoph- 
ical work,  entitled  "n  niDnSn— "the  Wars  of  God,"  Levy 
ben  Gerson,  commonly  known  as  Gersonides,  a  celebrity  in 
his  time,  denies  all  miracles,  including  creation  ex  nihilo,  a 
daring  genius  in  philosophic  thought  coming  very  near  Ibn 
Gabirol,  save  that  mystic  suffusion  from  which  our  poet  phi- 
losopher is  not  entirely  free.  The  intermediary  Reason  be- 
tween the  finite  and  the  Infinite  is  philosophically  assumed ; 
prophecy  is  divested  of  the  supernatural,  for  Providence,  Ger- 
sonides thinks,  reveals  Himself  more  readily  to  the  enlight- 
ened than  to  the  ignorant,  an  idea  of  old,  current  in  the 
Talmud,  where  the  sage  is  placed  above  the  prophet.  The 
culminating  thought  of  this  thinker  is  that  it  lies  with  man 
to  acquire,  by  study  and  meditation,  more  and  more  of  that 
Universal  Intellect  which,  as  an  ocean,  envelops  humanity. 
In  the  same  spirit  Joseph  Albo  wrote  his  Ikkarim  or  "  Fun- 
damental Principles,"  treating  of  Religion  in  General,  the 
Existence  of  God,  Revelation,  and  Retribution.  Religion  is 
here  to  control  weak  human  nature,  to  prevent  injustice  and 
violence,  and  to  lead  man,  by  culture,  to  perfection.  Hell  is 
an  allegory,  doubtlessly  intended  to  symbolize  the  barrier 
which,  in  the  hereafter,  the  consciousness  of  guilt  interposes 

nrotyn^  nyi  hy?  Sd  ;«t  1331   .n^n  uy  int?  no  nyn  row  njn*3 
n-onn  n'X-m  pi    .j?K3  w^r\  S""i  annrt  nynw  xS  hjvn  njrDK?  nxrn 


175 

between  felicity  and  the  soul.  "  Maker  of  the  universe,  grant 
Thy  servant  peace  of  the  soul,  and  Thy  will  be  done,"  should 
be  the  prayer  of  the  wise.  Albo  thinks  that  "  resurrection, 
being  unproved  by  Scripture  and  untenable  before  Eeason's 
tribunal,  has  but  tradition  to  sustain  it." 

We  can  barely  touch  upon  a  few  ideas  of   Mendelssohn, 
whose  life  and  work  initiate  a  new  period  in  Israel's  history,  a 
fact  which  it  is  not  our  business  here  to  discuss.     Nor  would 
it  be  advisable  for  us  to  analyze  here  his  noblest  work,  Phce- 
don,  or  the  "  Immortality  of  the  Soul,"  based  on  an  imaginary 
conversation  of   Socrates,  while  in  prison,  with  some  of   his 
pupils.     The  leading  thought  of  this  work  is,  that  the  soul, 
being1  essentially  spiritual,  cannot,  like  things  material,  be  sub- 
ject to  mutation.     In  his  "Jerusalem"  Mendelssohn  conclu- 
sively proves  the  sway  of  the  Church  over  the  State  to  be  both 
illegitimate  and  detrimental  to  the  organic  prosperity  of  secu- 
lar government.     The  Church  has  her  province,  and  the  State 
has  another  one ;  the  one  concerns  herself  with  the  spiritual 
well-being  of  a  certain  sect  or  creed ;  the  other  has  to  watch 
over  the  material  prosperity  of  all  citizens,  who  may  or  may 
not  belong  to  the  same  sect  or  creed.     A  separation  of  Church 
from  State  is  urged,  a  view  heartily  endorsed  by  Kant,  who 
hailed  this  theory  of  an  absolute  separation  as  a  great  "  pro- 
mulgation of  a  grand  reform,  destined  to  be  realized  slowly 
but  surely,  and  to  embrace  all  religions."     If  it  be  true  that 
Spinoza  undermined  the  foundation  of  Christianity,  Mendels- 
sohn may  be  charged  with  the  overthrow  of  its  material  walls. 
That  prophecy  of  Kant  has  seen  fulfillment.     Except  in  semi- 
barbarous  lands,  the  State  has'  at  last  been  emancipated  from 
the   surveillance    of    the   Church.     Neither   Catholicism   nor 
Protestantism,  we  may  assume,  gave  any  heed  to  the  uncalled- 
for  programme  of  the  "  hunchbacked  little  Moses."     But  the 
big  Pharaohs  have  grown  old  and  wise  enough  to  see  their 
folly.     A  little  Moses,  with  a  large  head  and  a  generous  heart, 
may  turn  out  a  mischievous  Bedouin  to  a  Church  of  no  head 
and  no  heart.     The  orthodox  Church  did  not  yet  abandon  the 
hope  of  turning  the  State  into  a  subservient  tool  of  intoler- 
ance  and   oppression  ;   but,  with  her   nimbus   withered,  her 


1 76 


influence  is  visibly  dwindling.  It  must  be  humiliating  and 
mortifying  to  have  misused  such  brilliant  chances  of  doing 
universal  good,  and  to  see  that  good  gloriously  done  by  the 
profane  State.  Ah,  when  did  the  Church  dream  of  treating 
mankind  with  justice  and  humanity  ?  Wherever  her  sway  is 
not  broken  there  is  still  darkness,  intolerance,  and  persecution. 
Her  seed  of  Erebus,  scattered  broadcast,  will  bear  dark  fruit 
in  ages  yet  to  come,  but  she  knows  that  Prometheus  broke  his 
chain,  and  is  abroad,  torch  in  hand,  to  her  a  veritable  Lucifer, 
and  she  has  gathered  in  her  baneful  feelers. 

In  his  "Jerusalem"  Mendelssohn  endeavors  to  put  the 
question  beyond  doubt,  that  Judaism  embodies  eternal  truths 
accessible  to  every  intelligence,  thus  rendering  it  superfluous- 
to  crystallize  Hebrew  Monotheism  into  articles  of  faith. 
Moses  did  not  teach  to  believe  or  not  to  believe,  but  to  do  this 
and  not  to  do  that.  Faith  cannot  be  enforced,  it  has  to  be  im- 
parted by  suasion,  wherefore  ancient  Judaism  had  neither 
many  symbols  nor  set  articles  of  faith.  Maimonides  was  the 
first  who  conceived  the  idea  of  summing  up  Judaism  in  thir- 
teen articles  of  faith.  Joseph  Albo  reduced  these  to  three, 
coinciding  with  those  which  Herbert  of  Cherburg  proposed 
as  the  basis  of  natural  religion.  Albo  has  not  been  con- 
demned on  this  account,  because  the  saying  of  our  sages 
has  not  been  forgotten,  that  "Though  these  are  tying  and 
those  are  untying,  all  are  engaged  in  interpreting  the  Living 
Word  of  God."  The  original  precepts  and  doctrines  of 
Judaism  were  not  intended  to  continue  immovable  for  all 
times,  under  all  conditions,  though  everything  around,  lan- 
guage, customs,  and  manners,  may  change.  So  far  from  this, 
our  teachings  were,  on  the  contrary,  transmitted  through  the 
oral  living  word,  subject  to  circumstances,  and  susceptible  of 
adaptation  to  the  requirements  and  the  aptitude  of  the  student, 
while  the  written  Law  and  ceremonies  furnish  the  head  of 
the  family  with  the  best  material  for  instructing  youth.  Cere- 
monies are  calculated  to  keep  religion  a  living  influence,  they 
being  in  a  manner  an  illustration  and  a  monitor.  The  inven- 
tion of  printing,  while  a  good  thing  in  itself,  has  the  disad- 
vantage of  isolating  the  student;  oral  instruction,  on  the  other 


177 

hand,  necessitates  social  intercourse,  thus  challenging  zeal  and 
emulation.  There  could,  in  Israel,  be  no  conflict  between 
church  and  state,  God  Himself  being  the  Sovereign  of  the 
people  and  His  Law  their  constitution.  Therefore  was  blas- 
phemy treated  as  a  national  crime,  as  high  treason,  to  be 
visited  with  condign  punishment.  Sabbath-breaking  was  a 
violation  of  the  civil  as  much  as  of  the  spiritual  Law.  Yet 
was  the  transgressor  treated  with  utmost  mildness.  No,  the 
guilty  could  not  at  all  be  punished  unless  warned  prior  to  his 
second  commission  of  the  crime  by  two  impartial  witnesses  of 
the  first,  and  enlightened  as  to  the  punishment  attached  to  the 
transgression.  Judaism  did  thus  not  punish  incredulity,  but 
the  state  did.  This  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that,  the  Temple 
having  been  destroyed  and  the  Jewish  nationality  dissolved, 
the  rabbis  abrogated  every  coercive  law,  imposing  none  but  that 
of  voluntary  penitence. — Writing  to  a  distinguished  friend, 
Mendelssohn  states  that  our  religious  ceremonies  are  very 
important  as  a  bond  of  union  as  long  as  polytheism  and 
anthropomorphism  were  dominant  around  the  globe.  "As 
long  as  this  plague  of  reason  exists,  the  true  Theists  ought  to 
form  a  defensive  alliance  against  the  polytheistic  missionary." 
In  the  same  letter  he  further  adds  :  "  We  should  combine  all 
our  efforts  to  reform  abuses,  to  expound  the  true  meaning  of 
our  religious  exercises,  which  hypocrisy  and  formalism  con- 
spire to  render  vain  and  unintelligible."  Was  not  Mendels- 
sohn a  reformer  %  a  Jewish  reformer  ? 

These  cullings,  gathered  from  the  voluminous  tomes  of 
Jewish  thought,  though  too  meagre  to  represent  the  several 
systems  in  all  their  bearings,  are  sufficient  to  indicate  the 
unanimous  spirit  of  reverence  manifested  toward  Holy  Writ 
and  revelation,  as  furnishing  the  basis  for  ideal  superstruct- 
ures. Jewish  philosophy,  well  conscious  of  human  inability  to 
fathom  the  Infinite,  turns  all  attention  to  man,  not  as  a  Jew, 
but  as  a  man,  and,  with  the  Sacred  Text  ever  present,  it  boldly 
determines  and  defines  his  position  on  earth  and  his  station  in 
the  universe.  The  royal  position  man  holds  on  earth  is  not  a 
matter  of  mere  claim  or  unjustified  pretension,  but  one  of 
quality   and    destiny,   thus   ordained    by  an   inscrutable   law. 


178 

Just  as  oil  will  float  on  the  surface  of  water  so  will  the  human 
mind  assert  its  supremacy  over  creation,  whether  partly  or 
wholly  developed.  Every  man  is  born  to  be  a  king,  a  demi- 
god, "  but  a  little  less  than  an  angel,"  with  powers  to  control 
matter,  mould  and  foster  mind,  rise  to  lofty  dignity  and 
superiority,  change  conditions  and  surroundings,  and  surmount 
the  limitations  nature  sets  to  his  endeavors.  But  few  realize 
the  might  and  possibilities  latent  in  their  being  ;  in  other 
words,  few  know  the  position  assigned  to  them  on  this  planet, 
the  sovereign  endowments  vested  in  their  spirit ;  and  thus, 
instead  of  soaring  on  eagle's  wings  toward  the  sunny  beam, 
they  choose  to  grovel  in  mire  with  the  senseless  down-trodden 
worm.  Was  the  chronometer  invented  to  measure  the  inter-, 
vals  between  meals  or  dances,  or  to  embellish  the  bust  of  a 
fool  ?  The  chronometer  is  a  precious  instrument  for  the  sea- 
man, and  for  him  who  has  cause  to  measure  time  by  the  frac- 
tion of  a  second.  Human  skill  is  seldom  wasted  without  a 
purpose ;  in  this,  man  follows  the  example  set  by  nature,  in 
whose  vast  realms  every  seed  is  destined  to  bear  fruitage.  To 
supply  his  daily  wants  man  needs  not  those  supernal  qualities 
he  is  endowed  with.  lie  could  bodily  subsist — as  other  ani- 
mals do — by  the  force  of  instinct.  Wherefore,  then,  those 
precious  gifts  of  soul  ?  Wherefore  this  world  entirely  left  to 
his  control,  a  star  teeming  with  wonders  hanging  in  infinite 
space  ?  Above,  there  immensity  spreads  studded  with  billions 
of  stars,  rising  and  setting  day  after  day  as  if  challenging  the 
son  of  earth  to  look  up,  contemplate,  wonder,  and  learn  what 
he  knows  not  and  ought  to  know.  Shall  man  toil  to  eat  and  eat 
to  toil  ?  Must  it  be  so  ?  and  is  this  the  be-all  and  end-all  ? 
Reason  and  thought  say,  No  !  Man's  goal  on  earth  is  not  to 
be  enslaved  by  matter,  but  to  control  it.  Manhood  ceases  the 
moment  one,  obeying  material  pressure,  or,  what  is  worse, 
animal  greed,  or,  what  is  worse  than  all,  low,  uncontrollable 
passion,  says,  /  must.  No  man  must  do  aught  degrading 
human  dignity,  lowering  his  value,  withering  the  soul's  divine 
lustre,  for  he  is  the  image  of  God,  born  to  rule  this  earth  by 
learning  to  rule  self.     He  must  not  if  he  does  not  want. 

Judaism  assigns  mankind  this  sovereign  position  on  earth. 


179 

But  earth  is  a  star  among  the  stars.  The  popular  notion  of 
nether  and  upper  worlds  is  not  sustained  by  scientific  facts. 
By  day  the  sun  is  above  this  earth,  by  night  this  earth  is  above 
the  sun,  but  beneath  other  stars,  which  are  in  turn  one  above 
or  below  the  other,  or  none  above  the  other,  as  the  case  with 
the  spokes  of  an  ever-rolling  wheel  would  be.  Of  course,  all 
the  stars  cannot  be  in  the  centre  of  the  universe.  Our  sun  is 
the  centre  of  a  group  of  planets,  and,  with  all  his  satellites,  is 
called  a  solar  system.  The  universe,  astronomers  tell  us,  is 
full  of  solar  systems  held  together  by  central  suns.  It  is  thus 
evident  that  we  are  as  likely  to  be  in  the  heart  of  the  universe 
as  in  the  outskirts  thereof,  which  makes  no  difference  whatso- 
ever, infinity  being  full  of  Divine  Glory.  What  everybody 
may  see  and  easily  comprehend  is  the  close  relation  that  exists 
between  this  world  and  the  others  within  sight.  The  sun 
sends  us  volumes  of  light  indispensable  to  our  existence,  and 
delegates  the  moon  to  perform  this  office  at  night.  The  stars 
rise  to  show  their  intimate  relation  to  this  their  sister  sphere, 
so  that,  while  we  habitually  speak  of  the  heavens  above  and 
the  earth  beneath,  we  are  actually  in  heaven,  with  stars  above, 
below,  before,  behind,  to  right,  to  left,  and  everywhere. 

Such  being  the  relation  of  this  globe  to  those  around  it, 
what  is  the  position  of  man  in  the  universe  ?  Granted  his 
royal  supremacy  over  all  nature,  as  it  appears  to  us  here,  is 
this  his  highest  and  only  distinction  ?  There  are  strong  rea- 
sons to  favor  a  different  view.  If  Providence  planned  no 
other  end  for  man  than  that  of  a  temporary  duration  to  end 
with  a  hopeless  return  to  eternal  silence,  He  would  not  have 
bestowed  on  him  such  celestial  gifts  as  He  denied  to  every 
other  creature  we  know  of.  We  have,  then,  either  to  admit 
that  there  are  things  in  the  universe  which  are  for  no  purpose, 
which  idea  would  imply  a  very  imperfect  Creator,  or  none  at 
all,  or  to  sustain  revelation  by  a  philosophical  endeavor  to  ac- 
count, as  much  as  it  is  in  our  power,  for  all  things  intellectu- 
ally, having  realized  the  wisest  design  of  Supreme  Wisdom 
intuitively. 

Well,  then,  man  harbors  dreamings  and  longings,  without 
which,   had   he  no  other  destiny  than   bringing  his  earthly 


180 

drudgery  to  a  close,  he  could  do  well  enough ;  no,  better  than 
now,  when  his  energies  are  divided  in  an  incessant  combat  of 
the  noblest  aspirations  against  the  lowest  proclivities  of  human 
nature.  Observation  teaches  that  the  most  intelligent  animal 
possesses  no  more  of  sense,  instinct,  and  energy  than  are  neces- 
sary for  the  preservation  of  the  species.  Instinct  induces  the 
beaver  to  provide  for  the  cold  season,  and  leads  the  migrating 
bird  to  warmer  climes.  If  man  has  a  great  deal  more  of  di- 
vine powers,  energies,  and  faculties  than  he  needs  to  assert  his 
rule  over  this  creation,  it  is  reasonable  for  us  to  conclude  that 
the  apparent  superfluity  of  gifts  is,  indeed,  not  superfluous, 
but  has  been  intended  for  higher  uses.  What  are  these  uses  ? 
We  perceive  in  human  nature  the  irresistible  impulse  to  grow, 
to  grow  in  age,  in  influence,  in  power,  in  fame,  in  wealth,  in 
wisdom,  in  everything  that  tends  toward  greatness.  This  un- 
quenchable thirst  for  more  than  we  are  and  have,  this  con- 
scious striving  for  aggrandizement  in  every  shape,  while  it 
indicates  that  the  possibilities  of  human  growth  are,  in  many 
respects,  unlimited,  it  at  the  same  time  furnishes  the  proof 
that  the  confines  of  this  world  are  not  those  of  our  soul. 
Either  we  must  resign  our  claim,  faith  and  consciousness,  that 
the  spirit  of  man  is  the  Breath  of  The  Almighty,  or  accept  it 
as  the  fact  of  facts,  that,  as  God  fills  the  universe  and  tran- 
scends it,  so  man,  the  ideal  and  thinking,  has,  under  certain 
conditions,  access  to  the  whole  universe  and  its  Maker. 

Such  are  the  necessary  conclusions  of  Jewish  cosmogony  and 
philosophy.  Upholding  the  faith  in  the  existence  of  the  In- 
finite God,  Whose  Wisdom  ordains  all  for  the  wisest  ends,  and, 
basing  the  divinity  of  the  human  soul  on  her  Divine  origin, 
Judaism  impliedly  extends  the  limits  of  man's  duration  to 
eternity,  and  the  confines  of  his  active  or  passive  being  here- 
after to  the  remotest  bounds  of  the  universe.  What  is  of 
vital  importance  in  this  consideration  is  the  proper  use  of  that 
individual  free  will  which  makes  man  arbiter  of  his  own  des- 
tiny here  and  hereafter.  Apart  from  virtue's  being  her  own 
reward  below,  we  know  that  a  man's  career  is  not  buried  with 
him.  Why,  then,  should  we  doubt  that  good  or  evil  deeds 
which  survive  their  author  here  do  follow  him  beyond  the 


181 

grave  to  determine  his  position  in  the  universe  ?  Is  not  such 
an  assumption  perfectly  compatible  with  universal  justice? 
Nature  reveals  her  selections.  The  flower  blossoms  not  in  un- 
congenial climes ;  life  flees  the  pestiferous  swamp,  the  fetid 
exhalation ;  and  the  rainbow  shines  not  on  winter's  dreary 
horizon;  beauty,  harmony,  and  order  dwell  not  with  de- 
formity, discord,  and  confusion ;  and  we  should  doubt  that  the 
ethereal  habitations  of  virtue  are  separated  by  untraversable 
abysms  from  the  abodes  of  vice.     Why  should  we  ? 


CHAPTER   XI. 
ISRAEL'S   GOD   AND   HIS   LAW. 

Loyal  Israel  sees  in  the  Theocratic  Law  the  essence  of  all 
wisdom,  the  keystone  of  all  ethics  and  religion,  and  the  basis  of 
perfect  justice  such  as  have  never  been  approximately  reached 
in  any  other  code.  But  this  is  not  universally  admitted  by  the 
non-Jew,  our  Law  being  to  the  Christian  largely  replaced  by 
the  New  Testament ;  to  the  Mohammedan  entirely  so  by  the 
Koran.  Among  all  the  forms  of  government  discussed  by  old 
and  modern  writers  Theocracy  meets  with  slight  consideration, 
it  having  always  been,  and  continuing  to  be,  a  distinctly 
Hebraic  ideal  of  government,  founded  on  laws  as  eternal  and 
immutable  as  the  Sovereign  from  Whom  they  are  derived. 
Since  we  are  confidently  looking  to  the  time  when  Israel's 
God  shall  be  the  One  of  the  human  race,  it  is  natural  for  us 
to  expect  that  His  Law  is  destined  to  be  The  Law  of  all  man- 
kind, an  expectation  which  needs  much  to  be  fully  realized. 
As  compliance  with  the  fundamental  principles  of  natural  re- 
ligion brings  man  face  to  face  with  the  Monotheistic  ideal,  so 
does  every  attempt  to  legislate  in  the  interest  of  universal  jus- 
tice derive  authority  and  vitality  from  the  Mosaic  legislation. 
Idealize  whatever  form  of  government  you  please,  the  Theo- 
cratic form  towers  above  all,  and  must  be  so  as  long  as  God 
and  His  laws  are  so  infinitely  greater  than  men  and  their 
laws. 

On  comparing  Moses  to  other  law-givers,  the  myth  of  Thor 
and  of  Skrymir  presents  itself  to  the  mind.  Thor,  the  thun- 
der-god of  Northern  mythology,  who  is  armed  with  a  mount- 
cleaving  mallet,  a  magic  belt  of  strength,  and  a  pair  of  pro- 
digious gloves,  undertakes  an  expedition  against  the  obnoxious 
giants,  a  race  of  tremendous  Titans  who  inhabit  the  city  of 
Jotunheim.     Thor  has  no  small  opinion  of  himself,  and  doubts 

(183) 


184 

not  his  ability  to  chastise  those  mischievous  prodigies.  On  his 
way  the  thunder-god  spends  the  night  in  a  cave,  is  alarmed  by 
a  fearful  earthquake,  and  rises  early  to  discover  to  his  amaze- 
ment that  he  was  sleeping  in  the  glove  of  one  of  those  Titans 
he  was  going  to  undo,  and  that  the  earthquake  was  nothing 
else  but  the  snoring  of  that  huge  sleeper.  Irritated  by  jeal- 
ousy Thor  concludes  to  slay  the  Jotun,  but  vainly  applies  his 
enormous  hammer  to  make  an  impression  on  the  skull  of  the 
giant.  Scarcely  noticing  the  repeated  onslaughts  Thor  has 
made  against  him,  Skrymir  rises  quietly  from  his  rest,  intro- 
duces himself  to  his  baffled  foe,  rubs  his  eyes,  and,  parting 
company  with  the  small  assailant,  advises  him  to  be  cautious 
in  dealing  with  the  giants  of  Udgard  Loki,  for  they  "  will  not 
brook  the  boastings  of  such  little  fellows  as  you  are." 

Good  advice  this  for  the  great  and  small  founders  of  great 
and  small  religions,  who,  pretending  to  look  down  on  Mosaism 
as  an  antiquated  code,  have  manufactured  a  number  of  new 
fictitious  salvation  schemes,  snoring  all  the  while  in  the  glove 
of  him  whom  they  claim  to  excel.  Welcome  all ;  the  paradise 
of  fools  is  large  enough,  and  the  Pope's  benediction  is  for  sale ; 
get  it  and  be  saved,  if  sky-rockets  are  as  good  as  suns  and  the 
palm-tree  not  more  than  the  weed.  But  what  shall  we  say 
of  those  who  never  cease  to  confess  their  deep  veneration 
for  the  Revealed  Law,  and#  belie  their  confessions  by  plant- 
ing idols  in  the  sanctuary  of  Jehovah  \  At  night  we  may 
well  be  satisfied  with  the  taper,  be  pleased  with  the  oil  lamp, 
delighted  with  the  incandescent  candle  ;  but  Aurora  rising  in 
the  East  and  Phoebus  following  in  her  trail,  of  what  use  is  all 
artificial  illumination  %  Ah,  not  the  savage  alone  exchanges 
jewels  for  tinsel.  Huitzilapachtli  gave  way  to  a  substitute,  and 
Aztec  madness  was  exchanged  for  a  lesser  foolery.  So  is  man- 
kind being  slowly  redeemed  from  the  trinitarian  fancy,  one 
phantom  vanishing  after  the  other  before  the  Breath  of  "  The 
Lord  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh." 

Old  is  error,  older  deception,  and  superstition  is  the  oldest, 
antedated  by  ignorance  and  conceit.  The  Twelve  Tables  of 
Rome  supplied  Cicero  with  a  basis  for  his  Utopian  code.  A 
multitude  of  local  laws  had  to   furnish  Plato  and  Aristotle 


1 85 

with  material  for  brilliant  political  theories.  They  whose 
greatest  law-givers,  after  Minos  and  Draco,  were  the  stern 
Lycurgus  and  the  polite,  practical  Solon,  could  not  readily  be- 
hold an  ideal  statesman  in  Moses.  They  could  not  consist- 
ently go  to  "  barbarians "  for  laws,  whose  God  appeared  a 
phantom  to  some  and  a  mystery  to  others.  Rome,  who  ever 
adopted  the  gods  of  subjugated  nations,  on  coming  in  contact 
with  Judea  had  for  once  to  abandon  the  hope  of  comprehend- 
ing a  Deity  Who  would  not  submit  to  any  kind  of  visible  rep- 
resentation. Even  to  the  learned  Roman,  Israel's  God  was  an 
inconceivable  Being,  ruling  a  queer,  unbending  people,  whose 
customs  and  rites  Cicero  and  his  contemporaries  often  misrep- 
resented, decrying  them  as  sheer  superstition.  The  first  en- 
counter of  Hebraism  and  Hellenism  was  written  in  blood. 
Not  to  study  Jehovah,  but  to  enforce  the  worship  of  Zeus,  was 
the  highest  ambition  of  victorious  Greece.  In  this  she  failed, 
as  other  powers  before  and  after  her  did,  and  when  Hebrew 
and  Hellene  met  again  it  was  to  realize  the  spiritual  affinity 
which  idealized  paganism,  having  risen  to  higher  regions  of 
thought,  found  stronger  than  racial  hatred  and  prejudice,  and 
an  interpenetration  of  ideas  and  sentiments  was  rendered  pos- 
sible. 

It  was  otherwise  in  Rome  where  Judaism  was  barely  toler- 
ated, often  respected,  but  seldom,  if  ever,  made  an  object  of 
study,  though  eloquently  commended  by  Josephus.  The  Di- 
vine Law  was  not  easily  reconcilable  with  the  Twelve  Tables, 
which  the  proud  Roman  venerated  with  an  idolatrous  rever- 
ence, though  they  were  mostly  borrowed  from  Grecian  sources, 
which  were,  in  turn,  traceable  to  the  Easterns,  especially  to  the 
Hebrews.  "  They  are,"  says  Livy,  "  the  fountain  of  law,  pri- 
vate and  public."  Nothing  grander  in  the  world  than  the  Ta- 
bles, thinks  Cicero.  Like  trinitarian  Christianity,  Polytheistic 
paganism  could  not  readily  adapt  itself  to  Monotheistic  Mosa- 
ism,  since  it  was  impossible  to  eliminate  the  One  Eternal  from 
His  Law,  of  which  the  Decalogue  is  an  epitome,  and  opens 
with  the  most  positive  emphasis  of  Divine  Unity. 

Since  its  very  inception  Christianity  advanced  the  claim 
of  being  the  universal  substitute  for  Israel's  world-mission. 


186 

Acknowledging,  as  it  does,  all  the  time,  the  priority  and  superi- 
ority of  the  Divine  Law — which  its  founder  came  "  to  confirm 
and  not  to  abolish  "—the  question  has  never  been  answered, 
why,  in  its  administration  of  justice,  does  it  rest  its  judicial 
measures  mainly  on  heathen  jurisprudence  ?     This  disloyalty 
to  the  Divine  Word  is  strikingly  conspicuous  and  lamentable 
when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  not  one  of  those  great  social 
problems  so  happily  solved  by  the  Mosaic  legislation  has  been 
successfully  dealt  with  by  the  Christian  Church  and  State. 
Neither  did  morality  in  general  win  by  the  teachings  of  the 
new  creed.     The  results  of  so-called  "  Christian  civilization  " 
on  human  intercourse  in  the  world  of  trade  are  given  by  many 
leading  thinkers  of    modern  schools.      "  On  all  sides,"  says. 
Herbert  Spencer,  "  we  have  found  the  result  of  long  personal 
experience  to  be  the  conviction  that  trade  is  essentially  cor- 
rupt.    In  tones  of  disgust  or  discouragement,  reprehension  or 
derision,  according  to  their  several  natures,  men  in  business 
have,  one  after  another,  expressed  this  belief.     Omitting  the 
highest  mercantile  classes,  a  few  of  the  less  common  trades, 
and  those  exceptional  cases  where  an  entire  command  of  the 
market  has  been  obtained,  the  uniform  testimony  of  competent 
judges   is   that   success  is  incompatible  with  strict  integrity. 
*     *     *     It  has  been  said  that  the  law  of  the  animal  creation 
is   '  Eat   and   be  eaten ; '  and   of   our   trading   community  it 
may  similarly  be  said  that  its  law  is  '  Cheat  and  be  cheated.' 
A  system  of  keen  competition,  carried  on,  as  it  is,  without  ad- 
equate moral  restraint,  is  very  much  a  system  of  commercial 
cannibalism."      On  this  side  of    the  Atlantic  we  hear  Rev. 
Samuel  Harris,  President  of  Bowdoin  College,  Maine,  remark, 
"  Society  "—of  course  Christian—"  is  a  scramble  ;  every  one 
crowding  and  hustling  his  neighbor  to  get  ahead.     Every- 
where restlessness  and  anxiety ;   the  capacity  of  contentment 
is  lost ;  a  civilization  whose  first  principle  is  '  Help  yourself,' 
and  of  which  the  legitimate  developments  are  peculation  and 
false  balance-sheets,  lying   advertisements   and   unscrupulous 
adulteration,  railroad  swindles,  gambling  speculations,  and  ju- 
dicial bribery:'     And  Emerson  finds,  likewise,  that  "  the  ways 
of  trade  have  grown  selfish  to  the  borders  of  theft,  and  supple 


187 

to  the  borders  (if  not  beyond  the  borders)  of  fraud."  Such 
are  the  fruits  of  that  Messianic  morality  destined,  we  are  as- 
sured, to  supersede  our  Divine  Law.  This  is  too  earnest  a 
question  to  be  indifferently  dismissed. 

Roman  and  English  legislation,  it  is  affirmed,  underlies  all 
the  jurisprudential  systems  of  the  civilized  world.  In  those 
codes,  however,  the  Divine  Law  is  not  explicitly  recognized. 
When  Austin  speaks  of  those  positive  laws  set  by  God  to  man, 
he  refers  to  such  as  are  revealed  or  unrevealed,  revelation 
being  to  him  identical  with  "  natural  reason,"  or  "  light  of 
nature,"  or  "  dictates  of  nature."  But  nature  and  God  are  not 
to  Moses  synonymous  terms.  Neither  is  the  utilitarian  philoso- 
phy of  Bentham,  with  his  maxim  of  all  good  law  and  govern- 
ment being  tested  by  their  securing  "  the  greatest  happiness 
to  the  greatest  number,"  an  ideal  approaching  that  of  the  Mo- 
saic system.  The  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number 
is  a  maxim  not  rooted  in  absolute  justice.  Carried  into  effect, 
that  principle  would  require  the  equal  distribution  and  con- 
stant redistribution  of  wealth,  which  is  usually  the  possession 
of  the  few  ;  it  would  often  necessitate  the  removal  of  such 
men  as,  by  their  stern  opposition  to  general  corruption,  may 
be  said  to  mar  the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number. 
The  sons  of  Israel  have  been  trained  to  think  that  justice  has 
neither  to  do  with  happiness  nor  with  numbers,  but  simply 
with  what  is  right  or  wrong,  just  or  unjust,  true  'or  false. 
Does  not  the  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest  number  justify 
slavery,  destruction  of  the  rich,  assassination  of  the  mighty 
who  rule  %  oppression  and  abuse  of  minorities  ?  How  could 
Bentham  reconcile  British  rule  over  India  with  his  theory  of 
happiness  in  relation  to  numbers  ?  It  were  a  sad  day  for 
mankind  were  we  obliged  to  sacrifice  the  happiness  and  rights 
of  the  minority  to  those  of  the  majority.  How  shall  murder 
committed  by  many  on  one  be  punished  ?  To  reduce  the  laws 
of  government  to  a  point  of  numbers,  is  it  not  returning  to 
barbarism,  where  force  alone,  sustained  by  numbers,  rules  ? 
If  law  be  synonymous  with  justice,  if  justice  be  the  pillar 
of  truth,  what  can  happiness  and  numbers  have  to  do  with 
law  ?     When  the  Benjamites  committed  a  heinous  crime,  the 


188 

question  of  numbers  did   not  restrain  Israel  from  chastising 
the  whole  tribe. 

Here  we  strike  the  difference  between  Divine  and  human 
laws.  The  Divine  Law  is  truth  revealed,  to  be  complied 
with  irrespective  of  majorities  or  minorities.  "  Thou  shalt 
not  steal !  "  Whether  one  steals  of  a  thousand  or  a  thousand 
steal  of  one,  theft  is  theft,  the  crime  is  a  crime.  Human  law 
is,  on  the  other  hand,  more  or  less  utilitarian  and  arbitrary, 
often  enacted  to  serve  personal  or  political  ends  or  aspirations. 
Divine  laws  are  intended  for  all  men  and  for  all  times ;  human 
laws  are  generally  called  forth  by  momentary  needs,  are  local 
and  selfish,  calculated  to  benefit  one  nation,  aye,  often  one  class 
of  men,  not  infrequently  a  few,  or  even  one  of  the  mighty  in 
power  or  in  wealth.  Divine  laws  spring  from  Theocratic,  un- 
changeable Sovereignty  ;  human  laws  are  enacted  either  by 
optional  or  arbitrary  authority,  in  both  cases  subject  to  change. 
Savigny's  theory  that  law,  like  language  and  other  social  hab- 
its, was  the  outcome  of  the  consciousness  of  a  people  grow- 
ing organically,  applies  not  to  the  Divine  Law  as  it  is  proved 
by  the  Mosaic  system,  where  we  see  that  the  people  did  not 
make  their  Law,  but  the  Law  made  the  people.  Strange 
fact,  this,  in  history,  a  group  of  slavish  tribes  opening  the 
grandest  world-career  with  the  Divinest  of  laws. 

Only  a  few  months  since  Archbishop  Nicanor,  of  Odessa, 
spoke  thus  to  the  students  of  that  city's  university  :  "  It  is  sur- 
prising to  see  the  audacity  of  some  ignorant  people  in  trying 
to  attack  the  greatest  of  the  world's  reformers  in  the  person 
of  Moses.  Being  such  nonentities,  they  are  only  noticed  when 
they  advertise  themselves  constantly  in  the  public  press,  but 
when  people  look  closely  into  the  matter  they  and  their  alle- 
gations die  a  natural  death.  If  ever  one  of  the  world's  great 
leaders  was  inspired  by  God,  it  was  undoubtedly  the  prophet 
Moses.  Where  are  now  the  laws  of  Lycurgus?  Where  are 
the  laws  of  Solon?  What  influence  had  the  laws  of  Con- 
fucius on  human  history?  The  Koran  is  simply  a  repeti- 
tion and  a  mutilation  of  the  Law  of  Moses.  The  teachings 
of  Moses  were  the  chief  foundation  of  Christian  morality, 
modern  law-making  and  development.     Philosophy,  with  all 


189 

its  big-sounding  names,  is  the  outcome  of  the  Old  Testament. 
The  Israelites  are  now,  as  they  were  in  ancient  times,  one, 
united  in  religion,  sympathy,  and  brotherly  love,  no  matter 
what  their  nationality  be.  They  seem  to  be  especially  pro- 
tected by  Providence,  and  they  are  going  from  strength  to 
strength."  The  frank  bishop  has  many  more  good  things  to 
say  of  the  sobriety,  economy,  industry,  religious  loyalty,  and 
sacred  domesticity  of  the  Russian,  inhumanly  treated  Jews  • 
and  the  contrast  he  puts  forth  by  comparing  the  results  of  Ju- 
daism with  those  of  orthodox  Christianity,  will  be  noticed  by 
history  as  the  expression  of  a  righteous  soul  who,  led  by  per- 
sonal experience,  reluctantly  admits  that  the  humble  Synagogue 
has  accomplished  a  great  deal  more  than  the  imperious  Church, 
the  Gothic  cathedral. 

With  these  general  remarks,  let  us  turn  for  a  moment  to  the 
Mosaic  system  and,  as  much  as  our  space  permits,  see  whether 
in  matters  of  pure  justice  the  world  has  outstripped  the  Re- 
vealed Law.44  As  the  basis  of  our  later  jurisprudence,  the 
Decalogue  claims  our  first  attention.  In  the  Hebrew  tongue 
the  last  five  Commandments,  with  which  we  are  here  chiefly 
concerned,  are  expressed  in  twenty-six  words,  and  their  purport 
is,  to  our  mind,  the  greatest  wonder  associated  with  the  scene 
of  Sinai. 

44  Henry  George  sees  in  Moses  "a  mind  in  advance  of  its  surroundings, 
in  advance  of  its  age ;  one  of  those  star-souls  that  dwindle  not  with  dis- 
tance, but,  glowing  with  the  radiance  of  essential  truth,  hold  their  light 
while  institutions,  and  languages,  and  creeds  change  and  pass.  From 
the  free  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  Law  sprang  that  intensity  of  family  life  that 
amid  all  dispersions  and  persecutions  has  preserved  the  individuality  of 
the  Hebrew  race ;  that  love  of  independence  that  under  most  adverse 
circumstances  has  characterized  the  Jew  ;  that  burning  patriotism  that 
flamed  up  in  the  Maccabees  and  bared  the  breasts  of  Jewish  peasants  to 
the  serried  steel  of  Grecian  phalanx  and  the  resistless  onset  of  Roman 
legion ;  that  stubborn  courage  that  in  torture  held  the  Jew  to  his  faith. 
It  kindled  that  fire  that  has  made  the  strains  of  Hebrew  seers  and  poets 
phrase  for  us  the  highest  exaltations  of  thought;  that  intellectual  vigor 
that  has  over  and  over  again  made  the  dry  staff  bud  and  blossom.  And 
passing  outward  from  one  narrow  race,  it  has  exerted  its  power  wherever 
the  influence  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  has  been  felt.  It  has  toppled 
thrones,  and  cast  down  hierarchies." 


190 

Johannes  von  Mueller,  honored  as  the  German  Herodotus, 
thinks  that  to  compare  Moses  with  modern  law-givers,  means 
to  compare  the  pyramids  with  the  palace  of  Versailles.     The 
fio-ure  would  have  been  truer  had  he  placed  the  Himalayas  in 
face  of  the  Parisian  hills.     There  is  a  criminal  code  in  "  Thou 
shalt  not  commit  murder."     The  Cains  are  forever  doomed, 
branded,  embalmed  in  infamy.    How  fearful  the  word  murder  ! 
The  world  recoils  with  horror  when  that  word  is  sounded. 
Human  sacrifice  is  murder  ;  human  outrage,  brutality,  torture, 
is  but  a  part  of  murder.     Murder,  assassination  by  wholesale, 
is  the  charge  that  cleaves  to  the  orthodox  Church.     How  she 
reveled  in  bloodshed,  torture,   and  outrage.      Hers    are  hor- 
rible centuries  of  shame,  revolting  to  the  milder  impulses  of 
man.     "  Thou  shalt   not  kill  !  "      Macbeth  murders  Duncan, 
hires  assassins  for  Banquo,  but  The  Yoice  that  avenged  the 
blood   of    Abel,  and    rang    from    Sinai's    top,  wakes   all  the 
furies  of  darkness,  who  rest  not  until  blood  flows  for  blood. 
War  is  murder,  wholesale  massacre,  abominable  to  the  Lord. 
In  self-defense  alone  is  bloodshed  justified ;  else  the  taking  of 
human  life   in  any  form   is   murder.     And  so  precious  was 
human  life  to  Israel  that,  even  when  called  upon  to  avenge 
bloodshed,  all  possible  delays  and  obstacles  were  interposed  to 
retard  execution,  dreading  the  possibility  of  perpetrating  legal 
murder.     Cities  of   refuge  were  set  apart  to  give  accidental 
manslaughter  a  chance  to  escape  blood  vengeance ;  but  neither 
altar   nor   sanctuary   afforded   protection   to   willful    murder. 
Lynch-law  is  an  abnormity  heard  of  in  the  nineteenth  century 
of  love  and  grace ;  it  was  unheard  of  in  Israel.     The    man 
hangs  on  the  tree  and  the  courts  are  silent  as  death,  as  if  all 
passed  off  as  it  should  be.     The  murdered  man  rots  in  his 
grave,  his  widow  wears  crape,  while  the  prison's  bar  opens  to 
the  golden  key,  and  the  murderer  drinks  champagne  with  his 
warden.     A  city  is  in  uproar  ;  "  murder  most  foul "  was  perpe- 
trated ;  the  assassin  is  arraigned,  the  testimony  is  strong ;  but 
O,  that  genius  of  a  lawyer,  and  that  Daniel  of  a  judge,  who 
allows  a  technicality  to  triumph  over  the  inviolable  dictates  of 
justice!      Shylock's  treatment  by  an   impartial  Christian  court 
is  an  illustration  of  judicial  malpractice,  which  the  Divine  Law 


191 

condemns,  even  in  poetry,  as  a  perversion  of  justice.  Like  the 
Egyptian  goddess,  the  justice  of  the  Divine  Law  stands  blind- 
folded, balance  in  hand.  She  sees  not,  but  she  hears,  weighs, 
and  judges,  and  from  her  verdict  there  is  no  appeal.  Three 
thousand  years  before  Emerson  discovered  the  devil  to  be  an 
ass,  Mosaism  doomed  the  tempter's  snaky  head  to  be  bruised 
by  his  victim's  heel.  Next  to  idolatry,  glossy  lies  are  hateful 
to  the  Synagogue,  but  they  are  rampant  in  the  policy  of  the 
orthodox  Church.  Still  Christian  men  and  women  are,  hap- 
pily, as  a  rule,  much  better  than  orthodox  Christianity,  the 
audience  humaner  than  its  preachers,  and  the  congregation 
better  than  the  denomination,  else  the  world  would  be  much 
worse  than  it  is.  Somebody  remarked,  that  the  Jew  was 
driven  into  a  corner,  which  he  turned  into  the  world's  count- 
ing-house, and  made  his  signature  on  a  scrap  of  paper  of 
more  value  to  thrones  than  the  long  lists  of  heraldic  titles 
with  nothing  behind  them.  Exclusion  and  persecution  guard- 
ed the  Jew  from  the  contamination  of  unhallowed  influences, 
and  his  Divine  Law  is  as  genuine  as  on  the  Day  of  its  giving. 
Our  Moses  and  our  Sinai,  our  Law  and  our  God,  are  there ; 
come  and  share  in  what  is  the  legitimate  heritage  of  all  men. 
No  counterfeits  in  Israel. 

The  drama  of  creation  winds  up  with  the  wedding  of  the 
first  man  and  woman.  God  Himself  ties  the  connubial  knot 
to  stand  as  a  type  of  sacred  home  life,  whence  all  human  hap- 
piness and  virtue  are  henceforth  to  flow.  A  new  barrier,  hold- 
ing out  a  curse  against  the  licentious  intruder  into  man's  pri- 
vate sanctuary,  is  added  by  the  seventh  commandment :  "  Thou 
shalt  not  commit  adultery."  The  great  modern  legislator  and 
jurist  may  rack  his  brains  to  invent  a  substitute  for  this  moral 
bulwark  uttered  in  two  Hebrew  words  against  the  pollution  of 
the  most  sacred  of  human  relations.  Mosaic  laws  must  not 
alone  be  judged  by  what  they  explicitly  say,  but  by  what  they 
imply.  The  inviolability,  the  sanctity  of  home,  the  divinity 
of  human  love,  the  chastity  of  womanhood,  the  sacredness  of 
domestic  peace  and  purity,  are  sufficiently  provided  for  by 
those  two  Hebrew  words  which  in  Israel  bore  holier  fruit  than 
all  the  gospels  and  the  heavy  codes  non-Jews  have  put  in  their 


192 

stead.  He  who  knows  the  true  Jewish  family,  with  its  filial 
love  and  parental  devotion,  its  liberal  hospitality,  and  its  daily 
consecration  of  the  highest  home  virtues,  will  admit  that  it  is 
a  temple  in  which  the  table  is  the  altar  and  the  parents  the 
priests  of  the  Most  High.  Happiness,  prayer,  blessing,  rever- 
ence, and  song  are  characteristic  of  the  blessed  Jewish  home. 
Next  to  the  Holy  of  Holies  the  most  hallowed  spot  on  earth  to 
the  Jew  is  his  home.  Therefore  is  celibacy  and  monachism  so 
odious  to  Israel,  being  old  enough  to  know  what  these  imply. 
While  Torquemada  was  burning  Jews  and  Moors  as  heretics, 
the  son  of  the  unmarried  Gonzales  de  Mendoza,  grand  cardi- 
nal of  Spain,  was  engaged  in  a  crusade  against  the  infidels ;  a 
miracle  to  be  sure.  "  His  holiness"  was  as  much  venerated  in 
Spain  as  the  Pope  in  Rome,  was  the  favorite  of  the  Catholic 
sovereigns,  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  and,  next  to  them  the 
mightiest  in  the  kingdom. 

Two  Hebrew  words,  "  Steal  not,"  make  up  the  eighth  Com- 
mandment. Non-Jews  may  confine  stealing  to  larceny  or  bur- 
glary. The  Israelite  sees  in  it  a  positive  law,  a  command 
against  every  possible  practice  tending  unlawfully  to  deprive  a 
fellow-being  of  lawful  property.  u  Stealing  knowledge,"  and 
"stealing  the  heart,"  are  expressions  of  the  Hebraic  idiom. 
Deception,  dissimulation,  and  flattery  come  under  this  heading. 
Bearing  false  witness  against  a  fellow-being,  which  the  ninth 
commandment  forbids,  is  surely  not  to  be  limited  to  what  in 
modern  codes  is  punished  as  perjury.  No  !  calumny,  defama- 
tion of  character,  misrepresentation,  and  every  false  utterance 
against  honor  and  honesty  are  comprised  therein  ;  it  commands 
control  of  heart  and  tongue. — And  what  is  not  embodied  in 
"Thou  shaft  not  covet"  ?  Greed  and  selfishness,  the  origin  of 
crimes  unnumbered  are  herein  sweepingly  branded  as  grievous 
sins.  The  Lord  is  hating  selfish  greed  as  the  dark  progenitor 
of  untold  woe  and  evil.  Ah !  the  greedy,  insatiate  Church ! 
How  many  victims  perished  not  in  the  flames  to  appease  her 
unholy  thirst  for  gold  !  Those  inhuman  creatures  of  the  Eccle- 
sia,  who,  including  the  latest  types  of  the  anti-Semitic  madness 
with  its  bloody  sequels,  have  ever  been  at  the  bottom  of  all 
Jewish  woe,  ever  inciting  man  against  man  ;  bloodthirsty,  until 


193 

glutted  with  the  gore  or  the  wealth  of  the  helpless.  What 
is  to  them  the  Divine  Law  that  forbids  theft,  infamy,  lie,  and 
murder?  They  have  a  new  revelation,  a  new  covenant  more 
perfect  than  the  old  one.  And  lo !  behold  the  results,  the 
latest,  of  that  Messianic  realization  of  "peace  on  earth  and 
good-will  to  men.'''  Look  at  the  Old  World !  what  dreadful 
armaments;  what  bitterness  of  speech  among  the  Messianic 
nations ;  what  suspicions ;  what  manoeuvres ;  what  lies  in  di- 
plomacy ;  what  tremendous  strains  to  outdo  a  neighbor  in  the 
invention  and  construction  of  fatal  engines !  Not  satisfied 
with  the  greatest  navy  the  world  has  seen,  Great  Britain  but 
lately  voted  $90,000,000  to  strengthen  her  terrible  armada. 
France  and  Germany  are  studded  with  forts  and  barracks. 
Belgium  has  spent  a  fortune  in  fortifying  her  vulnerable 
points.  Switzerland  is  doing  her  utmost  in  reorganizing  her 
army.  Italy  is  building  monstrous  men-of-war.  Spain  and 
Portugal  are  not  behind  in  warlike  preparations,  while  Russia, 
Austria,  Turkey,  and  a  group  of  smaller  kingdoms  are  eyeing 
each  other  with  the  love  of  the  wolf  for  the  lamb. 

Reviewing  this  appalling  situation  of  things,  the  historian 
Emile  de  Laveleye,  of  Belgium,  sums  it  up  in  the  single  fact, 
that  with  the  modern  ease  of  concentrating  armies,  the  facility 
of  bringing,  within  forty-eight  hours,  a  host  of  seven  million 
warriors  into  the  field,  with  a  reserve  of  ten  million  to  back 
them,  more  human  life  may  be  destroyed  in  one  day  now  than 
ever  before  in  a  protracted  war.  "And  it  is  under  this  continual 
menace  of  the  most  frightful  shock  of  armies  that  our  planet 
will  ever  have  looked  upon,  that  we  live,  and  the  most  extraor- 
dinary thing  is  that  we  get  used  to  it,"  adds  that  chronicler. 
Will  Christian  nations,  will  the  Church,  will  all  the  laws  com- 
bine to  counteract  that  impending  slaughter  of  humanity  by 
humanity  ?  They  will  not,  because  they  are  all  utilitarian  in- 
stitutions, conventional  things,  enacted  and  repealed  by  tem- 
porary interest.  The  pope  never  opens  his  lips  without  a 
lamentation  for  the  loss  of  his  temporal  dominion,  as  dear  to 
him,  it  appears,  as  paradise  to  which  he  is  holding  the  key. 
Had  he  physical  powers  there  would  be  no  end  of  crusades  and 
carnage  for  the   glory  of  the  Messialt.     How  many  of  the  Ten 


194 

Commandments  does  the  Vatican  keep  holy  ?  Instead  of  the 
One  Eternal,  it  worships  "  tliree  gods ;  "  a  host  of  saints ;  it 
worships  idols,  pictures,  and  figures ;  it  worships  "  graven  im- 
ages and  the  likeness  of  things  above  and  below ; "  it  is  not 
guiltless  of  taking  "  His  Name  in  vain."  Truth  is  the  seal  of 
God,  say  our  wise ;  truth  is  the  bete  noir  of  the  Vatican  priest. 
"  God  blessed  the  Seventh  Day  and  sanctified  it ;  "  the  bishops 
rejected  it  in  exchange  for  a  day  of  heathen  rejoicings.  And 
when  did  the  Catholic  monk  enjoin  honor  of  father  and  mother  ? 
he  who  forced  children  to  bear  false  witness  against  their  pa- 
rents. And  murder,  and  lewdness,  and  stealing,  and  false  wit- 
ness, and  covetousness  ?  The  annals  of  no  nation,  though 
utterly  corrupt,  teem  so  densely  with  those  vices  as  the  dark 
chronicles  of  the  mediaeval  Church.  Judaism  alone  is  rooted 
in  the  Divine  Law,  and  we  can  point  to  millions  of  Jews  who 
now  as  ever  strive  to  live  up  to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the 
Decalogue,  and  this  in  spite  of  all  impediments. 

Yet  the  Decalogue  is  the  merest  skeleton  of  a  code  modern 
jurists  would  do  well  to  examine  with  more  insight  and  less 
irreverence  or  undervaluation  than  they  usually  bring  to  the 
task,  if  they  give  it  any  thought  at  all.  "  What  doth  the  Lord 
require  of  thee  but  to  do  justly,  to  act  kindly,  and  to  walk 
humbly  before  thy  God  ?  "  In  these  words  of  Micah,  says 
Huxley,  there  is  more  religion  than  in  all  heathenized  Chris- 
tianity. On  submitting  Mosaisin  to  a  close  analysis,  the  jurist 
might  possibly  reach  a  similar  conclusion  in  regard  to  the  rela- 
tion of  non-Jewish  jurisprudence  to  the  Divine  Law.  The 
chief  justice,  Paxson,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania, 
in  an  address  before  the  students  of  the  University  of  that 
State,  briefly  indicated  how  heavily  general  jurisprudence  has 
drawn  on  our  Divine  Law,  concluding,  however,  with  the 
rather  threadbare  and  unsubstantiated  assertion,  that  the  law 
of  love  and  mercy  did  not  issue  from  the  smokes  of  Sinai.  It 
came  from  Golgotha,  of  course,  and  who,  knowing  the  history 
of  the  alone-saving,  loving,  and  merciful  Church  could  have 
any  doubt  about  it  ?  However,  is  there  really  no  love,  no 
mercy,  no  humanity  in  the  Divine  Law  ?  none  in  the  nature 
of  Israel's  God  ?     Perversion  of  truth  !     If  there  be  no  love, 


195 

no  justice,  mercy,  and  charity  in  the  Divine  Law,  there  are 
assuredly  none  in  this  world.  Turn  we  to  the  Pentateuch 
first,  and  let  Jehovah  appear  in  all  His  Divinest  Attributes, 
He  Whom  blasphemous  tongues  never  cease  to  charge  with 
cruelty  in  order  to  deify  an  invented  saviour  by  extolling  him 
above  The  Creator  of  the  Universe.  To  despise  and  out- 
rage the  Jews  and  glorify  their  God  was  not  a  scheme  to  suit 
the  holy  ends  of  redemption.  The  salvation  of  the  Christian 
necessarily  presupposed  the  perdition  of  the  Jew,  and  if  Jesus 
be  the  meek  "  prince  of  peace,"  whose  blood  was  necessary 
to  appease  the  ferocious  vengeance  of  his  Father,  then  what  a 
Father  must  He  be  !  Such  was  the  sacred  logic  the  daughter 
religion  applied  against  an  unyielding  mother  and  her  God. 
The  triumph  won  by  the  adoption  of  this  policy  was  equal  to 
that  of  the  cur  that  bays  at  the  moon.  "  You  may  deny  that 
you  are  drunk,"  said  the  policeman  to  the  Irish  drunkard, 
"  but  can  you  refute  it %  You  can  (  Well,  walk  up  straight 
to  that  porch."     The  Irishman  could  not  do  it. 

We  ask  the  blasphemers  of  Jehovah  to  disprove  His  purest 
justice  and  sweetest  mercy  as  they  are  a  thousandfold  im- 
pressed on  the  Hebrew's  mind  in  our  Sacred  Scriptures.  Hu- 
man love,  the  stranger,  the  fellow-man,  the  poor,  the  orphan, 
the  widow,  the  helpless,  the  innocent,  the  slave,  the  laborer,  yea 
the  animal,  where  have  they  more  tenderly  been  looked  after 
than  in  the  Divine  Law  ?  Geiger  calls  attention  to  the  fine  sen- 
timent expressed  in  the  Mosaic  warning  not  "  to  favor  the 
poor  before  judgment,"  testifying  to  the  consciousness  of  the 
law-giver,  that  the  human  feeling  of  pity  was  predominant  in 
the  Hebrew's  individuality.  Moses  was  less  apprehensive  of 
wealth  corrupting  the  verdicts  of  justice,  than  of  Jewish  com- 
passion with  poverty.  "  One  law  shalt  thou  have  for  the  native 
and  the  stranger."  Our  Union  requires  the  stranger  to  be 
naturalized  in  order  to  share  in  all  the  benefits  of  the  constitu- 
tional law  and  citizenship.  "  Thou  shalt  not  vex  the  stranger, 
and  shalt  not  oppress  him."  How  many  Christian  States  can 
boast  of  a  similar  law  %  "  You  shall  not  afflict  the  widow  or 
the  fatherless  child."  Lending  money  on  interest  is  forbidden. 
By  excluding  the  Jew  from  every  field  of  industry  and  trade, 


196 

and  by  denying  him  the  right  to  possess  or  cultivate  land,  the 
orthodox  Christian  forced  him  to  earn  a  livelihood  by  loaning 
money  on  high  interest,  and  then  covered  him  with  contumely 
because  he  did  what  he  was  forced  to  do. 

"  The  ass  of  him  who  hates  thee  "  do  not  "  forbear  to  un- 
load," supposing  the  poor  animal  succumbs  beneath  its  weight. 
"Thou  shalt  not  hate  thy  brother  in  thy  heart;"  and  "thou 
shdlt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself"  That  this  refers  not  to  the 
Hebrews  only,  we  read  on  the  same  page — Lev.  13 — "And  if  a 
stranger  sojourns  with  thee  in  your  land,  ye  shall  not  vex  him  ; 
as  one  born  in  the  land  among  you  shall  he  be  unto  you ;  and 
thou  shalt  love  him  as  thyself"  Anything  more  humane  we 
do  not  know  of,  have  not  met  with  anywhere.  "  For  a  Merciful 
God  is  the  Lord  thy  God,"  says  Moses  in  Deuteronomy  ;  and 
the  Sabbath  is  to  be  observed  by  perfect  rest  from  labor,  ex- 
tended to  the  servant,  the  stranger,  and  even  to  "  any  of  thy 
cattle."  Not  alone  man  but  brute  creation  shall  be  treated 
with  mercy.  The  animal  shall  not  be  muzzled  while  thresh- 
.ing,  shall  be  fed  in  due  time,  even  before  its  owner  takes  food 
himself,  and  shall  work  with  its  equal  in  nature.  ( )x  and  ass 
must  not  plow  together. 

Moses  describes  God  as  follows :  "  The  Lord  your  God  is  the 
God  of  gods,  the  Lord  of  lords,  the  Great,  the  Mighty,  and 
the  Awful  God,  Who  has  no  regard  for  persons,  and  taketh 
no  bribe ;  who  executeth  justice  for  the  orphan  and  the  widow, 
and  loveth  the  stranger  to  give  him  food  and  raiment.  Love 
ye  the  stranger,  for  you  were  strangers  in  the  land  of  Egypt." 
The  poor,  the  orphan,  the  widow,  and  the  stranger  are  never 
lost  sight  of.  The  audacity  to  deny  the  God  of  Moses  the  at- 
tributes of  love  and  mercy  !  "  Thou  shalt  not  deliver  unto  his 
master  the  servant  who  may  escape  from  his  master."  Hu- 
manity in  the  highest  degree  !  Bards  of  this  century  sing  of 
British  soil  as  consecrated  to  liberty  since  it  would  not  restore 
the  fugitive  slave  to  his  master.  So  far  did  the  world  advance 
in  human  love  within  three  millenniums.  Slavery  of  Hebrew 
by  Hebrew  is  God-accursed  in  Mosaism  ;  "  merciful "  Chris- 
tianity felt  differently  about  that  matter.  But  here  is  the  sub- 
limest  picture  of  our  Great,  Just,  and  Gracious  God.     "  The 


197 

Eternal,  a  God  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering,  and 
abundant  in  goodness  and  truth;  showing  mercy  unto  thou- 
sands, forgiving  iniquity,  and  transgression,  and  sin  ;  but  who 
will  by  no  means  always  leave  unpunished,  visiting  the  in- 
iquity of  the  fathers  upon  their  children,  and  upon  the  chil- 
dren's children  to  the  third  and  to  the  fourth  generation."' 
These  last  lines,  like  the  "  tooth  for  a  tooth "  theory,  have 
often  been  cunningly  pointed  to  as  an  evidence  of  Jehovah's 
cruelty.  Judaism,  however,  did  never  accept  them  in  their 
literal  meaning.  We  know  well  enough  that  children  do  suf- 
fer through  the  sins  of  their  parents,  especially  when  they  per- 
sist in  following  in  their  footsteps.  And  this  is  what  those 
lines  imply,  teach  Israel's  hoary  sages. 

Taken  together  with  the  times  and  conditions  under  which 
this  spiritual  likeness  of  Deity  is  drawn,  it  is  a  heavenly  reve- 
lation of  supreme  justice  blended  with  the  sweetest  grace  and 
mercy.  The  attempt  at  replacing  this  Divine  ideal  by  a  some- 
thing claimed  to  be  diviner  very  much  resembles  the  theatri- 
cal trick  of  outshining  the  sun  by  an  artificial  contrivance  pro- 
pelled by  machinery  across  the  scene.  We  beg  to  be  forgiven 
for  dropping  this  subject  with  a  feeling  of  compassion  for  a 
clamorous  multitude,  whose  arguments  amount  to  the  noise 
issuing  from  the  void  of  a  windbag.  "  Sir,"  said  Macaulay 
to  an  addle-pated  peer,  who  failed  to  grasp  the  reasons  ad- 
vanced by  the  great  debater,  "  I  can  give  you  an  argument, 
but  I  cannot  supply  you  with  good  sense  to  comprehend  it." 
Important  as  it  is  for  the  orthodox  Church  to  take  good  care 
of  her  gods,  we  Jews  can  afford  to  let  our  God  take  care  of 
Himself.  The  following  tale  is  not  without  a  good  moral. 
An  Irishman  dealt  a  heavy  blow  on  the  neck  of  a  Jew,  because, 
said  he,  "'Jew,  you  have  killed  my  god."  "  Fool,"  cried  the 
Israelite,  "  you  may  kill  my  God  if  you  can  get  hold  of  Him." 
Ah,  the  Jews  know  too  well  who  the  god  of  Peter  and  Paul 
was,  but  when  will  the  Church  learn  to  worship  the  God  of 
Moses  % 

An  attempt  to  quote  more  of  the  Old  Testament  in  proof  of 
its  humanity  would  make  this  chapter  too  long  for  a  brief ,  gen- 
eral survey.     Throughout  Mosaism  and  Prophecy,  as  well  as 


198 

within  the  heavy  tomes  of  Talmudical  lore,  we  are  incessantly 
reminded  of  Israel's  relation  to  God,  and  his  duties  toward  the 
great  human  family.  Jehovah  is  the  Father  of  all  men,  of 
whom  Israel  is  the  first-born,  the  spiritual  guide  of  the  race. 
That  the  non-Jew's  prayer  may  be  heard  by  Israel's  God  when 
offered  in  His  sanctuary,  is  the  ardent  petition  of  our  wisest 
king.  "  Have  we  not  all  One  Father  ?  Has  not  One  God 
created  us  all  ?  "  asks  Malachi. 

Enough.  To  return  to  our  topic,  we  wish  to  point  out  one 
other  great  reality  in  the  Divine  Law,  which  ought  not  to  pass 
the  notice  of  social  scientists  ;  we  allude  to  the  inalienableness 
of  personal  right  and  property,  which  is  a  remarkable  feature 
in  the  Mosaic  legislation.45  As  slavery  in  Israel  was  a  viola- 
tion of  the  Divine  Law,  so  was  the  transfer  or  tenure  of  real 
estate  in  perpetuity  unlawful.  The  Israelite  could  neither  sell 
himself  nor  his  heritage  forever — the  remission  years  of  the 
Shemitha  and  the  jubilee  having  been  insurmountable  barriers. 
The  problem  of  capital  and  labor  could  not  arise  in  a  land 
where  everybody  was  a  capitalist  of  non-transferable  property. 
This  enactment  involves  a  sublimer  principle  than  that  of  the 
great  French  Revolution,  which  was  the  principle  of  human 
fraternity,  liberty,  and  equality.  Granted  human  equality,  the 
equal  right  of  every  man  to  a  fair  share  of  this  world's 
goods  and  blessings  follows  as  a  necessity,  and  its  denial 
amounts  to  robbery.  It  must  not  be  in  man's  power  to  disown 
those  sacred  rights  he  derives  from  God.     The  Divine  Law 

45  Washington  ascribes  the  greatest  blessings  of  civilized  society  as 
flowing  mainly  from  the  "pare  and  benign  revelation." — "We  hold,"  says 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  "these  truths  to  be  self-evident:  that 
all  men  are  created  equal ;  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with 
certain  inalienable  rights ;  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty,  and  the 
pursuit  of  happiness ;  that  to  secure  these  rights  governments  are  insti- 
tuted among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  consent  of  the 
governed."  But  Moses  held  over  three  thousand  years  before  that,  be- 
sides perfect  human  independence,  man  has  a  share  in  this  world,  which, 
like  his  bodily  and  spiritual  freedom,  is  inalienable.  Monopolies  are, 
therefore,  irreconcilable  with  Mosaism.  The  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence was  certainly  not  composed  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the 
New  Testament  and  the  orthodox  Church,  but  is  an  avowed  homage  to 
the  perfect  Divine  Law. 


195) 

punishes  the  Hebrew  who  offers  to  sell  himself  as  a  slave.     By 
making  the  renunciation  of  one's  liberty  or  property  a  viola- 
tion of  the  Divine  Law,  human  equality  received  the  seal  of 
Divine  sanction,  and  it  remains  for  modern  jurists  and  legisla- 
tors to  determine  whether  mankind  is  sufficiently  advanced  to 
try  what  the  Mosaic  code  did  accomplish  thirty-three  centuries 
ago — the  earth  being  the  promised  land  of  all  men.     Such  is 
the  design,  yea,  the  mandate  of  the  Divine  Law.     It  has  not 
been  given  to  man  to  secure  the  greatest  happiness  of  the 
greatest  number,  but  to  guarantee  the  equal  rights  and  pro- 
mote the  equal  happiness  of  all  men.    The  Divine  Law  invests 
neither  church  nor  state  nor  any  sovereign  with  power  or  au- 
thority to  protect  that  minority  who,  unlawfully,  in  one  way  or 
another,  deprive  the  great  bulk  of  mankind  of  their  heavenly 
birthright,  their  inalienable  heritage.     Tyranny  and  slavery, 
sovereign  and  subject,  are  branded  as  a  degradation  of  human 
dignity,  as  a  sinful  abuse  of  power,  by  the  Mosaic  code.    Sam- 
uel yields  reluctantly  to  Israel's  demand  for  a  king.     Compli- 
ance with  the  Divine  Law  renders  a  state  of  society  such  as  the 
Church  sanctioned  and  sanctions  ;  a  society  of  lords  and  slaves, 
tyrants  and  subjects,  oppressors  and  oppressed,  millionaires  and 
paupers  ;  a  state  of  society  in  which  the  few  have  everything 
and  the  many  have  nothing,  save  the  bread  they  earn  with 
"  the  sweat  of  their  brow,"  next  to  impossible,  next  to  criminal. 
The  Divine  Law  favors  none  other  than  Theocratic  govern- 
ment; that  is,  in  Paine's  reasoning,  emphasized  by  Lincoln,  the 
government  of  "  the  people  by  the  people."     Samuel  was  the 
first  president  of  the  most  perfect  of  democracies,  a  man  of 
God's  appointment,  one  of  the  people,  who  ruled  the  land 
with  the  "  rod  of  his  lip."     We  feel  safe  in  asserting  that  all 
modern  writers  on  the  sphere  and  function  of  government, 
from  John  Stuart  Mill,  who  indorses  the  laissez-faire  theory, 
to  Herbert  Spencer,  who  sees  in  government  a  mere  agency  of 
the  people  instituted  for  the  protection  of  man's  natural  rights, 
are  perhaps  unconsciously  but  surely  advancing  toward  the  Di- 
vine Law  and  Theocratic  democracy.     "  Men  being  by  nature 
all  free,  equal,  and  independent,  no  one  can  be  put  out  of  his 
estate  and  subjected  to  the  political  power  of  another  without 


200 

his  own  consent,"  is  Locke's  indorsement  of  Theocratic  de- 
mocracy. Locke  is,  however,  behind  Moses  in  his  assertion 
that  man's  "  own  consent  "  is  enough  to  divest  himself  of  his . 
natural  right  and  heritage,  an  assertion  rejected  by  the  Divine 
Law.  So  is  Humboldt's  idea  that  the  function  of  government 
is  "  to  promote  the  absolute  and  essential  importance  of  human 
development  in  its  richest  diversity."  Despite  all  disadvantages 
of  intestine  incoherence  and  political  disintegration  within,  and 
an  almost  general  hostility  encountered  without,  Israel's  state 
and  genius  prospered  under  Theocratic  rule.  Not  before  the 
Divine  constitution  fell  into  abeyance  and  Theocracy  was  grad- 
ually supplanted  by  arbitrary  dynasties,  was  the  doom  of  Judea 
sealed.  Political  changes  and  reverses,  however,  cannot  seri- 
ously affect  the  authority  of  the  immutable  Divine  Law ;  and 
no  sooner  did  Israel  restore  his  Theocratic  constitution  to  the 
original  reverence  of  the  people  than,  even  in  dispersion,  his 
national  unity  was  secured. 

Wherever  the  Jew's  lot  is  cast  he  is  patriotic,  patriotism  be- 
ing admittedly  a  Jewish  not  a  Christian  virtue,46  but  he  is  at 
the  same  time  religiously  Theocratic,  living  under  the  light  of 
his  Divine  Law.  And  if  it  be  true  that  the  fittest  survive,  if 
the  world's  history  be  God's  tribunal  through  which  His  ver- 
dicts are  given  to  man,  if  matter  be,  indeed,  inferior  to  spirit, 
body  to  mind,  falsehood  to  truth,  physical  to  spiritual  powers, 
if  time  be  a  test,  and  durability  a  confirmation  of  the  truly 
Divine  and  imperishable,  what  lesson  does  the  survival  of 
Israel's  seed  scattered  all  the  world  over  not  teach  ?  Call  it 
pride,  vanity,  conceit ;  you  must  in  fairness  forgive  the  Jew 
his  innate  consciousness  of  being  the  favorite,  the  first-born, 
the  ever-chastised,  yet  never-forsaken,  son  of  the  Most  High. 

The  legend  of  the  wandering  Jew  is  historically  significant. 
Christian  superstition  saw  in  that  fabulous  individual,  who, 
having  struck  Jesus  on  his  neck  at  the  moment  when,  leaving 

46 Le  patriotism  est  un  sentiment  de  Pancienne  loi,  qui,  theoretiquement,  n'a 
)>oint  de  place  dans  la  nouvelle;  et  le  jour  oil  VEvangile  a  He  preche  au.r  Gen- 
tiles a  StS,  en  principe,  le  dernier  jour  des  nationalites. — Le  sentiment  de  la  na- 
tionalitS  tel  que  V  entendent  les  Anglais  est  un  sentiment  essentiellement  Juif, 
says  John  Lemoinne. 


201 

Pilate's  gate,  he  dragged  along  the  cross  to  which  he  was  to  be 
affixed,  was  cursed  never  to  rest,  but  rejuvenated  at  the  end  of 
every  century,  to  wander,  a  warning  to  mankind,  the  type  of 
his  wandering  race.  The  Church  found  it  good  policy  to  teach 
that  the  Jews  lost  Zion  and  were  dispersed  among  the  nations, 
because  they  did  not  recognize  Jesus  as  the  Messiah.  Their 
misfortunes  were  thus  turned  into  a  testimony  of  the  divinity 
of  Jesus,  and  to  make  the  testimony  emphatic  the  condition  of 
the  Jews  had  to  be  made  as  miserable  as  possible,  since  to 
oppress  the  Jew  was  tantamount  to  strengthen  the  Christian 
cause.  This  was  the  logic  of  the  primitive  and  mediaeval 
Church,  and  is  a  sentiment  that  is  still  rampant  in  semi-barba- 
rous lands.  That  the  Jews  survived  all  miseries  and  multiplied 
was  not  thought  a  wonder  of  heroic  patience,  devotion,  and 
endurance,  but  it  was  considered  a  miracle,  destined  to  convince 
the  erring  that,  like  the  wandering  Jew,  his  race  was  denied 
the  historic  grave  because  he  rejected  Jesus  and  his  Viceger- 
ents. Such  rigmarole  is  easily  spread,  readily  accepted  by  the 
vulgar,  but  causes  the  intelligent  to  smile  contemptuously. 
There  lived  never  a  race  of  a  deeper  sense  for  ideal  felicity 
than  the  descendants  of  Abraham,  who  are  preserved  by  their 
loyalty  to  the  Divine  Law  and  supernal  Sovereignty,  neither 
of  which  could  be  blazoned  and  taught  without  wandering, 
without  mingling  among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  What 
Abraham  was  commanded  to  do,  his  latest  descendants  are  do- 
ing, they  wander  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun,  teaching 
the  Law  and  building  the  altars  and  temples  of  Jehovah.  The 
stars  wander  and  so  the  Jews,  both  to  give  light. 

The  struggle  of  principle  versus  policy  is  the  keynote  of 
Jewish  history.  The  Mosaic  code  is  all  principle.  Can  this 
be  said  of  other  codes  ?  Truth  knows  no  policy,  nor  fear,  nor 
majorities,  nor  power.  Her  dictates  are :  Do  what  is  right, 
life  has  no  other  end.  Seventy  thousand  mantles  cannot  hide 
the  deformity  of  falsehood.  The  barbarous  East  has  a  class  of 
specialists,  old  hags,  whose  business  it  is  to  cut  sour  faces  and 
howl  hideously  in  houses  of  mourning.  The  Occident  can 
boast  of  a  similar  class  of  specialists,  who  are  engaged  in  sing- 
ing gleeful  anthems  to  the  new  faith  and  doleful  dirges  to  the 


202 

old  one ;  but  policy  withers  in  face  of  principle.  Disinherit 
the  Jew  and  rise  in  his  stead  ?  How  could  this  be  done,  the 
Divine  Law  being  his  dearest  and  your  cheapest  possession  ? 
Brutality  may  deny  Israel  a  spot  to  rest  his  head  ;  can  it  deny 
him  his  share  in  the  universe  ?  You  may  crucify  the  Jew,  you 
cannot  crucify  his  soul,  nor  can  you  replace  his  Law  by  any 
conventional  code,  nor  darken  the  glories  of  his  history.  The 
Greeks  labored  hard  to  outwit  and  extirpate  the  people  of  the 
Divine  Law.  Roman  wit  was  spent  in  stigmatizing  the  fidelity 
of  Israel  to  his  precious  heirloom,  and  the  Church  recoiled 
from  no  crime  that  held  out  a  prospect  of  detriment  to  the 
ancient  race.  How  woefully  they  all  failed  need  not  be  re- 
hearsed here.  Judaism  lives,  an  honored,  mighty,  vital  influ- 
ence, a  constant  menace  to  all  modernized  idolatries,  spreading 
like  the  fruitful  bough  of  Joseph,  "  a  fruitful  bough  by  the 
well,  its  branches  spreading  over  the  wall.  And  the  archers 
harassed  him,  and  they  assembled  in  multitudes  and  persecuted 
him ;  but  his  bow  remained  in  strength,  and  the  arms  of  his 
hands  remained  firm.  From  the  hands  of  The  Mighty  One 
of  Jacob,  from  Him,  the  Shepherd,  the  Rock  of  Israel ;  from 
the  God  of  thy  fathers,  who  shall  help  thee,  and  from  The 
Almighty,  who  shall  bless  thee,  will  come  upon  thee  blessings 
from  heaven  above,  blessings  from  the  deep  that  spreadeth 
beneath,  blessings  of  the  breast  and  of  the  womb." 

This  century  has  seen  a  noticeable  change  in  the  attitude  of 
enlightened  Christians  toward  the  old  faith  and  its  adherents, 
promising  a  sound  conception  of  the  fatal  error — to  say  nothing 
of  its  criminal  aspect — orthodox  churchmen  indulged  in  by 
unwisely  degrading  their  own  creed  in  defaming  the  mother 
who  gave  it  soul,  bone,  and  sinew.  The  God-reality  which 
permeates  the  Divine  Law  and  the  core  of  Judaism  is  as  indis- 
pensable to  the  new  faith  as  the  vital  energy  of  the  root  and 
the  stem  is  to  the  vitality  of  each  and  every  limb  of  the  tree. 
The  ages  and  their  annals  afford  no  other  spectacle  as  prepos- 
terously unique  as  the  treatment  of  the  Synagogue  by  the  in- 
consistent Church,  who,  worshiping  a  Jew,  tortured  his  race  ; 
feeding  on  Jewish  brains,  bruised  the  Jewish  head  ;  deifying 
the  supposed  son  of  God,  belittled  God  Himself ;  building  on 


203 

Prophecy,  rejected  the  Divine  Law ;  in  short,  raising  a  giant 
superstructure,  while  undermining  its  foundation.  Infinitely 
more  harmonious  with  the  rise  of  Judaism  are  its  own  growth 
and  development.  On  the  Divine  Law  Prophecy  and  the  vast 
edifice  of  Hebrew  literature,  Biblical  and  post-Biblical,  is 
founded.  Attention  has  been  drawn  elsewhere  to  the  spirit  of 
Hebrew  Prophecy,  poetry,  and  tradition.  We  propose  to  con- 
clude this  chapter  with  a  few  words  on  that  criminal  jurispru- 
dence which  was  the  necessary  evolution  of  the  Divine  Law. 

With  the  picture  of  our  court  and  its  jury — often  constituted 
of  twelve  illiterate  men — before  us,  we  may  profitably  sum- 
mon the  great  Jewish  assembly,  the  Sanhedrin,  to  meet,  in 
order  to  form  an  idea  of  their  peculiar  ways  and  methods  in 
serious  cases.  In  the  first  place,  only  men  of  dignity  and  wis- 
dom were  eligible  to  a  seat  in  that  august  senate.47  As  no 
criminal  could  be  arraigned  and  judged  without  two  ocular 
witnesses,  and  as  the  verdict  entirely  depended  on  the  given 
testimony,  the  criminal  code  of  Judaism  attached  the  greatest 
and  gravest  importance  to  the  nature  and  treatment  of  wit- 
nesses. Thus,  no  one  could  mount  the  stand  as  a  witness  or 
an  accuser  before  he  had  warned  the  guilty  against  the  nature 
of  the  crime  and  the  penalty  it  was  sure  to  bring,  and  not  un- 
til he  had  himself  seen  the  crime  perpetrated.  The  fact  alone 
was  of  account ;  circumstantial  evidence  was  out  of  question. 
The  first  step  of  the  court  was  to  make  the  witness  feel  the 
enormous  weight  of  his  responsibility.  The  blood  of  inno- 
cence would  be  on  his  head  should  it  be  shed  by  inaccurate  or 
false  testimony.  If  he  had  the  slightest  doubt  about  the  accu- 
racy of  facts  his  testimony  was  void.  It  was  not  enough  to  have 
seen  a  man  run  after  another,  a  deadly  weapon  in  hand,  then 
see  the  murderer  return  from  the  house,  the  weapon  reeking 
with  the  blood  of  the  victim  found  therein.  If  the  witness 
saw  nothing  else  but  one  man  fleeing  away,  the  other  follow- 
ing, a  bloody  steel  and  the  fugitive  slain,  but  did  not  see  the 
act  of  murder,  his  testimony  amounted  to  nothing.  The  San- 
hedrin was  in  dread  of  bloodshed.     The  current  view  was,  that 

"di  noon,  nroip  ,L>j'3  kSk  pnnjon  p^n  j'N*7 


204 

a  Sanhedrin  is  sanguinary  who  had  one  execution  in  seven 
years.  Another  view  is,  that  no  execution  should  happen  in 
seventy  years,  while  two  great  lights  of  the  Law  expressed 
themselves,  that,  had  they  been  in  that  great  assembly,  there 
would  have  never  been  an  execution.48 

Every  advantage  was  granted  to  the  accused ;  every  disad- 
vantage stood  in  the  way  of  the  accuser.  In  the  consultations 
of  the  great  court  no  voice  given  in  favor  of  acquittal  could  be 
retracted,  but  every  vote  against  the  criminal  could  be  repealed. 
A  hasty  verdict  of  "  guilty  "  amounted  to  an  acquittal.  Self- 
accusation  was  not  listened  to,  but  self-defense  met  with  the 
gravest  consideration.  Extenuating  evidence  came  never  too 
late,  not  to  the  last  second  fixed  for  the  execution.  Before 
the  execution  took  place  a  herald  preceded  the  condemned,  in- 
viting any  and  every  body  who  had  aught  to  say  in  favor  of 
acquittal  to  come  forth  and  be  heard.  A  horseman,  flag  in 
hand,  stood  at  the  portal  of  the  court,  ready  to  stop  the  pro- 
cession to  death  at  a  moment's  notice,  should  anything  trans- 
pire for  the  benefit  of  the  guilty.  It  was  a  sacred  principle  in 
Israel's  jurisprudence  to  choose  the  mildest,  most  painless  form 
of  execution.  "  Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself"  meant,  among 
other  things,  our  wise  taught,  to  let  the  guilty  die  without 
pain.49  The  whole  assembly  tasted  no  food  nor  drink  on  the 
day  on  which  they  saw  and  judged  a  murderer.50  An  intoxi- 
cating drink  was  prepared  by  good  women  to  dull  the  sense  of 
dread  and  the  agonies  of  death  in  him  whose  crime  was  be- 
yond doubt.51  You  could  as  well  bribe  the  sun  as  corrupt  the 
verdict  of  a  Jewish  court.  Such  a  case  was  never  heard  of  in 
Israel.  It  is  not  generally  known  that,  except  in  criminal 
cases,  about  five  millions  of  Jews  are  still  depending  for  jus- 
tice on  that  hoary  jurisprudence  in  preference  to  any  other  in 
which  experience  taught  them  to  repose  small  confidence,  es- 
pecially in  lands  where  judicial  bribery  is  not  an  unusual  occur- 
rence. In  every  Jewish  congregation  in  Russia,  Roumania, 
Galicia,  Turkey,  Morocco,  Tunis,  and  elsewhere,  where  non- 

.nbiyn  mx  j^hj  vh  piiruw  u"n  i1?**  Dnmx  so-py  'Hi  pinto  01  *• 
E/3jn  nnty"*o  ism?  jmruD 60      .n£r  nn'o  )S  11-0  "pM  y-h  ronxi48 
.nonS  Sty  to-np  mix  pp»n  nrr1?  fcttvn"     .ovn  mix  ho  pnjna  px 


205 

Jewish  justice  is  for  the  highest  bidder,  there  is  a  local  tribu- 
nal called  the  Beth-Din,  usually  constituted  of  three  learned 
Hebrews  whose  integrity  nobody  thinks  of  questioning.  Nor 
is  it  a  rare  sight  to  see  Christians  of  station  and  intelligence 
resort  to  those  Semitic  courts,  where  the  balance  of  justice 
never  inclines  toward  him  who  bears  the  heaviest  coin. 

Our  God-reality  and  our  Divine  Law  guard  the  Jewish 
court,  the  Jewish  heart,  the  home,  and  the  faith  from  idola- 
trous contamination. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

OUR   ETHICAL  REALITIES. 

The  generally  current  maxim  of  vox  populi  vox  Dei  has 
never  been  accepted  by  Israel  without  strict  limitations,  espe- 
cially in  matters  of  truth  and  conscience.  The  one  who  sees 
what  the  world  fails  to  see  is  more  than  the  whole  world  in 
this  particular  distinction  ;  and  the  principle  of  judging  things 
in  general  by  their  intrinsic  quality,  not  by  quantity,  is  the 
one  by  which  the  divine  in  man  will  ultimately  be  tested. 
Truth  knows  no  numbers,  minorities,  or  majorities ;  facts  are 
the  symbols  of  truth,  which  no  Olympian  thunder  can  silence 
or  refute.  "  Will  all  great  Neptune's  ocean  wash  this  blood 
clean  from  my  hand  %  "  asks  Macbeth.  "  No  ;  this  my  hand 
will  rather  the  multitudinous  sea  incarnadine,  making  the 
green  one  red."  What  happened,  happened  ;  what  is  true,  no 
power  above  or  below  can  change.  If  it  rained  this  morning, 
can  the  Almighty  Himself  change  the  fact  ?  Galileo  having 
proved  his  theory  of  this  globe's  rotation,  all  the  popes  are 
impotent  to  disprove  it.  As  in  international  intercourse  the 
paper  value  of  currency  indicates  the  moral  credit  of  the  re- 
spective land,  so  does  the  current  unbiased  view  of  a  people's 
ethics  indicate  the  estimation  at  which  its  religion  is  held. 
Now,  you  claim  that  Christian  morality  is  superior  to  all  other 
morality;  you  claim,  in  the  language  of  Strauss,  that  Jesus  is 
"  the  highest  object  we  can  possibly  imagine  with  respect  to 
religion,  the  being  without  whose  presence  in  the  mind  perfect 
piety  is  impossible ; "  or,  as  Renan  expresses  it,  that  "  he  is 
the  most  beautiful  incarnation  of  God  in  the  most  beautiful  of 
forms  ;  his  beauty  is  eternal ;  his  reign  will  never  end."  Sup- 
pose we  deny  it  as  articulate  wind,  contradicted  by  the  same 
lips  that  uttered  those  cheap  generalities,  and  ask  for  facts  to 
sustain  words,  what  will  you  do  ?    That  same  Renan  exclaims  : 

(207) 


208 

"  Ah,  me  !  eighteen  long  centuries  will  have  to  pass  before  his 
blood  shall  bear  fruit.  Thinkers  as  noble  as  he  was  will  dur- 
ing that  period  be  subjected  to  torture  and  death.  Even  now 
penalties  are  being  imposed  in  so-called  Christian  lands  for  re- 
ligious dissensions.  Jesus  is  not  responsible  for  these  aberra- 
tions. He  could  not  foresee  that  many  a  people  of  morbid 
imagination  would  turn  him  into  a  hideous  Moloch  who  longs 
for  human  flesh.  Christendom  has  been  intolerant,  but  its  in- 
tolerance is  not  an  essentially  Christian  but  a  Jewish  fact." 
True,  save  the  last  line,  which  shall  stand  here  unrefuted  as  a 
survival  of  that  Apion  spirit  who,  seeing  his  gods  tumble, 
gratified  his  envy  by  maligning  a  race  whose  God  could  neither 
be  overthrown  nor  crucified.  Renan  is,  in  this  respect,  not  as. 
guilty  of  hypocrisy  as  those  eulogists  of  Judaism  whose  en- 
comiums are  like  Milton's  picture  of  Sin  sitting  at  the  gate  of 
hell :  "  Woman  to  the  waist,  and  fair,  but  ended  foul  in  many 
a  scaly  fold,  voluminous  and  vast,  a  serpent  armed  with  mortal 
sting."  But  Kenan's  "  Ah,  me  !  "  means :  "  Christianity  is  thus 
far  a  failure." 

We  do  most  emphatically  deny  it  that  the  Church  ever 
formed  an  ethical  code  of  her  own  superior,  or  even  equal,  to 
the  original  system  of  ethics  as  embodied  in  our  Divine  Law 
and  its  commentaries.  We  furthermore  asseverate  that  ethical 
Judaism  is  vastly  superior  to  ethical  Christianity,  which  stands 
convicted  of  pluming  itself  with  feathers  borrowed  of  that 
eagle  whom,  in  his  Godward  flight,  it  vainly  tries  to  outwing. 
Besides  what  has  been  said  in  the  preceding  chapter  in  con- 
firmation of  this  asseveration  we  are  prepared  to  strengthen 
our  position  by  advancing  a  few  additional  irrefutable  facts. 
Nothing  easier  than  this.  Renan  himself  admits — and  he 
stands  not  alone  in  his  sorrowful  admission — that  as  a  religion 
of  justice,  love,  and  mercy,  the  one  based  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment is,  so  far,  a  signal  failure,  having  accepted  Jesus  in  theory 
and  turned  him  into  a  "  hideous  Moloch "  in  practice.  But 
the  founder  of  Judaism  has  not  been  as  unfortunate  as  to  be 
so  monstrously  misrepresented.  The  most  rigid  lines  in  Mosa- 
ism  were  softened  down  by  a  humane  prophecy  and  a  philan- 
thropic philosophy.     Our  ethical  realism  is  so  venerably  old, 


209 

is  a  quarry  so  characteristically  Jewish  and  original,  that  any 
plagiarist  who  attempts  to  transplant  a  stone  thereof,  for  the 
benefit  of  some  unheavenly  scheme,  will  let  it  appear  in  the 
light  of  a  polished  onyx  block  planted  in  a  wall  of  mud. 
Like  nature's  beneficent  gifts,  our  Divine  Law  and  Prophecy 
are  intended  for  all  mankind.  Like  nature,  they  admit  of 
imitation,  of  distortion,  and  adoption  ;  but  they  admit  of  no 
substitution. 

Whereas  we  are  willing  to  do  justice  to  the  ethical  beauties 
of  Christianity,  recognizing  that  even  in  its  heathenized  con- 
dition it  had,  and  has,  a  mission,  a  great  mission,  we  are  con- 
strained to  maintain  what  Lessing,  returning  a  manuscript  to 
a  young  author,  observed  :  "  What  is  good  therein  is  not  new, 
and  what  is  new  therein  is  not  good."  A  Talmudical  allegory 
tells  how  the  Lord  punished  the  envy  of  the  moon,  which, 
jealous  of  the  sun's  effulgence,  exclaimed :  "  Why  do  two  lords 
occupy  one  throne  %  Why  should  I  not  be  the  first  ? "  The 
Lord  withdrew  His  golden  rays  ;  jealousy  paled  the  moon's 
splendor,  and  there  she  soars  with  her  lustre  withered.52  How 
would  the  off-shoots  of  Judaism  fare  had  they  to  yield  to  the 
challenge  of  returning  "  to  Csesar  what  is  Caesar's  "  ?  Suppose 
we  admit  that  the  transferring  of  evil  spirits  from  two  lunatics 
into  two  thousand  swine,  and  that  the  tempting  of  Jesus  by 
Satan,  as  well  as  all  other  amazing  miracles,  are  of  a  New 
Testamental  originality,  does  this  imply  the  disowning  of  our 
claim  to  have  taught  and  practiced  the  golden  rule  prior  to 
the  Herodian  period  %  It  is  on  points  like  these  that  Judaism 
takes  issue  with  its  overweening  daughter  creeds.  If  we  al- 
low the  miracles  of  the  New  Testament  and  the  Koran  to  pass 
as  original,  we  are  in  no  sense  bound  to  allow  our  precious 
materials  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  or  in  Mohammed's  vis- 
ion, to  continue  unrecognized.  If  you  are  to  "  give  to  Csesar 
what  is  Caesar's "  is  it  not  our  sacred  obligation  to  restore  to 
Jehovah  what  is  Jehovah's  ?  We  are  happy  to  have  supplied 
the  adamantine  blocks  for  the  reconstruction  of  the  world's 
ethics — for  the  elevation  of  humanity  to  divinity ;  all  that  we 

52  See  first  allegory  of  Appendix. 


210 

are  working  and  waiting  for  is  Israel's  recognition  as  the  only 
true  expounder  of  the  Divine  Law,  and  as  the  champion  of 
the  One  God. 

The  object  of  these  pages  being  mainly  to  exhibit  the 
splendid  features  of  our  ethical  realism,  allusions  to  kindred 
or  tributary  systems  will  merely  occur  incidentally  and  by  way 
of  comparison.  Full  knowledge  of  animal  anatomy  renders 
vivisection  superfluous.  Our  case  is  one  in  which  a  statement 
often  serves  the  end  of  an  argument.  In  theory,  our  ethical 
realism  dates  back  to  the  infancy  of  man ;  in  practice,  it  ex- 
tends from  the  noblest  ethical  career  of  our  ancient  patriarch — 
whose  life  is  something  more  than  a  myth — down  to  our  late 
centenarian  philanthropist,  Montefiore,  who,  as  Abraham,  was 
the  true  type  of  the  earliest  Hebrew,  died,  the  ideal  of  the 
modern  humanitarian  Jew.  This  type  has  been  made  hered- 
itary in  Israel  by  the  acceptance  of  and  the  compliance  with 
the  ethical  teachings  of  the  Divine  Law,  and  its  wise  interpre- 
tations in  Prophecy  and  in  subsequent  literature.  Mosaism 
sums  up  in  substance  all  ethical  codes  of  antiquity  and  rises  as 
high  above  them  as  heaven  is  above  earth.  Reverence  for  the 
loftiest  intuitions  in  the  human  soul  inspires  us  with  profound 
veneration  for  him  who  is  by  far  the  wisest  of  the  Orient's 
earlier  lights.  Buddha,  after  years  of  inward  search  and 
meditation,  evolved  an  ethical  system  admirable  in  conception, 
self-sacrificing,  humane  in  realization.  The  dreamer  of  Nir- 
vana was  one  of  mankind's  greatest.  Such  an  effort  to  be 
guided  by  the  "  Enlightened  One,"  to  banish  all  evil,  impure 
desires  from  the  human  heart,  planting  universal  kindness 
and  charity  in  their  stead ;  love  "  good-will  without  measure 
toward  all  being  ;  "  where,  beyond  Buddhism,  do  you,  among 
Indo-Europeans,  hear  of  it  again  ?  Even  Platonism  reaches 
not  up  to  this  lofty  height.  Yet  here,  as  elsewhere,  the 
Aryan  is  given  to  the  gloomiest  contemplations  of  earthly 
life,  which  is  to  the  "Light  of  Asia"  a  mystery — of  sorrow, 
since  misery  and  vexation  of  the  spirit  do,  in  his  judgment, 
always  accompany  human  existence,  and  the  way  to  salvation 
is  assured  by  the  total  suppression  of  all  wishes  and  passions. 

Such  is  not  the  spirit  of  the  Divine  Law.     Its  explicit  end 


211 

is  to  make  man  happy,  this  world  an  abode  of  peace,  kind- 
ness, love,  mercy — even  to  animals—  charity  to  all,  and  ethical 
purity.  Our  ethical  Nirvana  finds  expression  in  five  Hebrew 
words  which,  translated,  read,  "Perfect  shaft  thou  be  with  the 
Lord  thy  God."53  The  ethical  demand  of  the  Divine  Law 
is  nothing  less  than  human  perfection.  Jesus  and  Mohammed 
are  satisfied  with  less  than  this.  Both  promise  not  the  virtu- 
ous, but  the  faithful,  perfect  absolution  of  all  sins  and  paradise 
withal.  In  Judaism  perfection  is  insisted  upon,  to  be  acquired 
by  a  stringent  watch  over  self,  by  control,  not  suppression,  of 
human  nature,  such  as  subduing  the  feelings  of  greed,  hatred, 
envy,  malice,  lust,  and  vengeance,  and  by  substituting  therefor 
the  sentiments  of  love,  truthful,  charitable,  and  righteous  deal- 
ing with  everybody.  "  If  thou  see  thy  enemy's  ox  or  ass 
going  astray,  thou  shalt  bring  it  back  to  him  again."  The 
Hebrew  has  often  done  this.  How  often  did  the  Christian 
offer  his  left  cheek  to  him  who  struck  his  right?  Preposterous 
command  !  We  would  be  satisfied  had  the  Church  not  dealt 
five  blows  for  one,  or  for  none. 

"  Thou  shalt  not  follow  the  majority  in  doing  evil,"  even  if 
the  evil  contributes  to  the  "  greatest  happiness  of  the  greatest 
number."  "  Ye  shall  be  holy,  for  I,  the  Eternal,  Am  Holy." — 
"  Ye  shall  not  steal — neither  shall  ye  deny — property  in  your 
hand — nor  lie  one  to  another." — "  Thou  shalt  not  withhold 
property  from  thy  neighbor,  nor  rob  him ;  there  shall  not 
abide  with  thee  the  wages  of  him  that  is  hired  to  the  next 
morning;  thou  shalt  not  curse  the  deaf  nor  put  a  stumbling 
block  before  the  blind,  but  thou  shalt  be  afraid  of  thy  God."- 
"  Thou  shalt  not  go  up  and  down  as  a  tale-bearer  among  thy 
people ;  thou  shalt  not  stand — indifferently — by  the  blood  of 
thy  neighbor." — "  Thou  shalt  not  avenge  nor  bear  any  grudge 
against  the  children  of  thy  people,  but  thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself,  I  Am  the  Lord."  When  the  servant  is 
dismissed,  he  is  to  be  supplied  by  his  master  with  a  liberal 
portion  of  his  wealth.  Eeverence  for  age  is  enjoined,  uncondi- 
tional submission  to  the  parental  will,  liberality  to  the  poor 
and  the  helpless,  perfect  tolerance  and  friendly  treatment  of 


212 

the  stranger,  above  all,  absolute  justice,  just  weight  and  full 
measure,  frankness,  sincerity,  respect  of  human  dignity  are 
the  distinguished,  glorious  principles  of  our  Divine  Law. 
Domestic  chastity  is  treated  with  the  utmost  care  and  minute 
detail;  the  food  of  the  Hebrew  is  to  be  the  cleanest;  the 
word  of  his  lip,  the  thought  of  his  soul,  the  purest ;  the  most 
sacred  intimacy  of  husband  and  wife  is  an  object  of  ethical 
solicitude.  Nothing  that  concerns  the  bodily  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  Israelite  escapes  the  attention  of  the  Divine 
Law,  which,  it  is  plainly  stated,  has  been  revealed,  in  order 
"  that  you  may  live  thereby,"  all  virtue  and  purity  being  cal- 
culated to  lead  to  happiness  and  perfection. 

Such  being  the  ethical  nature  of  the  old  faith,  one  is  tempted 
to  ask,  what  the  Church  and  the  Mosque  added  thereunto,  im- 
proved thereupon,  unless  it  be  the  barbarous  doctrine  that  ex- 
tols ignorance  above  wisdom?  "Blessed  are  they  who  are 
'poor  in  spirit"  The  votaries  of  Judaism  pray  that  they  may 
never  be  visited  with  that  kind  of  blessing.  From  time  im- 
memorial it  has  been  the  glory  of  Israel  to  wipe  out  ignor- 
ance, and  to  raise  generation  after  generation  rich  in  spirit. 
The  wisest  of  Scriptural  thinkers  urge  Israel  to  search  for 
wisdom,  which  is  more  precious  than  jewels.  Wisdom  was 
the  petition  of  Solomon,  the  quest  of  Job,  the  longing  of 
David,  the  highest  goal  of  our  sages  and  prophets.  Jewish 
ethics  presuppose  knowledge.  That  "  the  ignorant  man  can- 
not be  pious  "  is  an  ancient  saying  with  our  wise,  fully  con- 
firmed by  daily  experience,  because  Judaism  exacts  more  of 
its  representatives  than  blind  faith.  Judaism  sees  in  ignorance 
a  curse  and  a  misfortune,  and  commands  a  prudent  distance  to 
be  kept  between  the  learned  and  the  illiterate.  The  Revealed 
Law  was  not  intended  to  be  blindly  believed,  but  to  be  stud- 
ied, understood,  amplified,  and  wisely  applied  to  all  conditions 
and  circumstances ;  and  its  assimilative  adaptability  to  all  times 
is  evident  from  its  unexcelled  provisions  calculated  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  most  civilized  ages,  and  keeping  much  in 
reserve  to  be  utilized  by  times  to  come,  perchance,  yet  much 
in  advance  of  those  we  are  calling  progressive. 

A  separation   between   the  ethical,  juridical,  and   spiritual 


213 

was,  in  ancient  Israel,  never  attempted,  all  three  aspects  being 
focused  in  the  Divine  Law  and  Prophecy,  and  finding  further 
development  in  post-Biblical  schools.  "  Let  those  who  would 
make  Christianity  merely  a  religious  system  apart  from  the 
common  life  of  men,  and  who  look  at  religion  as  a  merely  in- 
dividual connection  with  God,  see  to  it  that  they  do  not  fall 
below  the  Hebrew  ideal,"  says  Canon  Freemantle ;  and  he 
continues  to  maintain  that  "those  who  appreciate  that  ideal 
most  fully,  and  dwell  most  on  the  Divine  element  pervading 
it,  will  see  that  it  points  to  an  all-embracing  society,  including 
the  whole  range  of  human  interest,  and  binding  all  men  and 
classes  and  nations  together  in  true  relations,  which  are  the 
work  and  expression  of  the  Spirit  of  God."  In  addition  to 
this  statement  it  is  in  order  to  quote  a  few  lines  from  another 
divine,  the  Bishop  of  Peterborough,  who,  speaking  on  social- 
ism, remarked  that  Christianity  made  no  claim  to  rearrange 
the  economic  relations  of  men  in  the  state  and  in  society ;  and 
he  hoped  to  be  understood  when  he  plainly  said  that  it  was  his 
firm  belief  that  any  Christian  state,  carrying  out  in  all  its  rela- 
tions the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  could  not  exist  for  a  week. 
The  two  leading  principles  taught  were  non-resistance  and  for- 
giveness of  injuries.  It  would  not  be  possible  for  a  state  to 
forgive  all  injuries,  or  to  forgive  all  criminals.  Neither  could 
the  English  Government,  in  the  event  of  a  French  army  land- 
ing on  our  shores,  afford  to  give  that  army  a  safe  escort  to 
London.  It  was  perfectly  clear  that  a  state  could  not  continue 
to  exist  upon  what  were  commonly  called  Christian  principles, 
and  it  was  a  mistake  to  attempt  to  turn  Christ's  Kingdom  into 
one  of  this  world.  To  introduce  the  principles  of  Christian- 
ity into  the  laws  of  the  state  would  lead  to  absolute  intoler- 
ance.— Summed  up  in  a  word,  it  means  that  Christianity  can- 
not be  reconciled  with  the  rudiments  of  justice  and  human 
equality.  Carried  to  its  ultimate  conclusion,  it  means  that  Juda- 
ism is  a  religion  of  life,  and  Christianity  one  of  death.  You 
can  be  a  good  Jew,  and  love  your  neighbor  and  the  stranger ; 
but  to  be  a  good  orthodox  Christian  you  are  bound  either  to 
convert  or  to  despise  and  ill-treat  your  neighbor,  or  to  act  like  an 
idiot  by  giving  your  cheek  to  be  struck,  and  punish  no  crime. 


214 

When  the  ethical  side  of  our  supplementary  literature  is  ex- 
amined, it  is  found  to  be  a  scrupulous  amplification  of  the  eth- 
ical spirit  of  the  Divine  Law.  Gathered  from  the  vast  maze 
of  traditional  literature,  and  shaped  in  the  form  of  a  purely 
ethical  work,  are  the  "  Ethics  of  the  Fathers,"  gems  of  moral 
philosophy,  every  phrase  furnishing  a  text  for  an  ethical  dis- 
course. That  ethical  treatise  opens  with  the  statement  that 
Moses,  having  received  the  Law  on  Sinai,  had  delivered  it  to 
Joshua,  who  transmitted  it  to  the  Elders,  Judges,  priests,  who, 
in  turn,  delivered  it  to  the  Great  Assembly.  This  Assembly 
laid  down  the  following  three  great  principles,  which  ought  to 
cause  many  a  modern  sage  and  law-giver  to  stop  and  think : 
"  Be  careful  in  legal  decisions,  multiply  the  number  of  stu- 
dents, and  raise  a  bulwark  around  the  Law."  Simeon  the  Just 
teaches  that  "  the  study  of  the  Law,  Divine  reverence,  and  good 
works  sustain  the  world."  Another  teacher  insists  that  man 
must  not  worship  God  with  the  view  of  securing  a  reward,  but 
out  of  unselfish  motives,  which,  in  modern  phraseology,  would 
be  termed,  "  Virtue  should  be  her  own  reward."  Other  veins 
of  genuine  beauty  run  through  the  following  sayings:  "Let 
thy  house  be  the  gathering-place  of  the  wise ;  sit  at  their  feet, 
and  drink  in  their  words. — Open  thy  house  freely ;  make  it 
the  home  of  the  poor. — Live  under  the  guidance  of  a  superior 
mind,  a  teacher ;  court  a  true  friend,  and  look  at  the  brighter 
side  of  every  man's  character.— Keep  aloof  from  a  bad  neigh- 
bor ;  shun  the  company  of  the  wicked,  and  be  not  unprepared 
for  adversity.— Love  work;  hate  office;  intrude  not  among 
the  ambitious."  Hillel  says:  "  Love  peace,  pursue  it;  love 
mankind,  and  spread  knowledge  broadcast  among  them. — He 
who  hunts  fame  will  lose  his  name. — He  who  learns  not  retro- 
gresses.— He  who  disdains  wisdom  deserves  not  to  live.  He 
who  parades  wisdom  as  a  diadem  of  vanity  will  fall. — If  I 
think  not  of  self,  who  will  think  of  me  ?  Should  I  think  but 
of  self  of  what  use  am  I  ?  And  if  naught  be  done  to-day, 
when  then? — Further  the  interests  of  the  public;  doubt  your 
self-trust ;  judge  not  of  others  too  severely  before  being  simi- 
larly tried  ;  say  not  a  thing  cannot  be  learned  which  you  may 
learn  anyhow ;  say  not  '  I  shall  perfect  myself,'  you  may  have 


215 

no  chance  to  do  so. — The  unprincipled  fears  no  sin  ;  the  igno- 
rant cannot  be  pious ;  the  bashful  cannot  learn  ;  and  the  hot- 
tempered  cannot  teach. — Not  everybody  who  deals  in  wares 
wins  wisdom.— Where  there  is  lack  of  manhood  show  thyself 
a  man. — The  more  flesh  the  more  food  for  worms ;  the  more 
wealth  the  more  cares ;  the  more  wisdom  the  more  ideal  life  ; 
the  more  study  the  more  wisdom  ;  the  more  thought  the  more 
insight ;  the  more  beneficence  the  more  salvation. — A  good 
name  is  the  best  thing  for  man  ;  he  who  lives  faithful  to  the 
Law  lives  forever."  Seeing  a  skull  float  in  the  water,  Ilillel 
exclaimed :  "  Because  of  thy  having  drowned  others  thou  art 
drowned  thyself ;  and  they  who  drowned  thee  shall  be  them- 
selves drowned." 

Hie  thee  to  rearward  with  your  Sermon  on  the  Mount ! 
Shammai  said :  "  Fix  a  time  for  study ;  be  small  in  promise, 
great  in  action,  and  meet  friendly  every  man"  Rabbi  Simeon, 
son  of  Gamliel,  used  to  teach:  "All  my  life  did  I  spend 
among  the  wise,  and  I  found  nothing  healthier  than  silence ; 
not  the  thought  alone  but  the  deed  is  essential ;  much  talk  en- 
genders error. — On  three  virtues  does  the  world  rest — on  truth, 
on  justice,  and  on  peace." 

But  we  are  here  in  the  magic  storehouse  of  Aladdin,  and  are 
embarrassed  as  to  the  choice  of  inestimable  treasure.  Rabbi 
Jochanon  enjoins:  "Be  not  conceited  of  acquired  hnoicledge ; 
thou  art  here  for  no  other  purpose. — Which  is  the  best  virtue 
for  man  to  acquire  ?  "  asked  he  once  of  his  five  pupils.  "  An 
unenvious  eye,"  said  the  one ;  "  a  loyal  friend,"  said  the  other ; 
"  a  good  neighbor,"  thought  the  third  ;  "  the  power  to  foresee 
future  events,"  said  the  fourth  ;  "  a  good  heart"  said  the  last. 
The  master  deemed  "  a  good  heart "  the  best  quality,  for  it 
comprised  all  other  good  qualities,  thought  he.  And  who  could 
plausibly  disagree  with  this  hoary  sage  in  Israel?  "Be  the 
honor  of  tliy  fellow-man  dear  to  thee  as  thy  own  ;  be  not  impa- 
tient, and  repent  of  your  sins  on  the  last  day  of  your  life,"  re- 
marked Rabbi  Eliazar.  "A  jealous  eye,  impure  greed,  and  hu- 
man hatred  shorten  the  life  of  man"  Rabbi  Jose  said  :  "  Thy 
fellow's  property  be  dear  to  thee  as  thy  own,  endeavor  to  study 
the  law  of  which  the  knowledge  is  not  hereditary,  and  in  all 


216 

thy  dealings  be  thy  goal  the  highest."  Rabbi  Tarphon :  "  The 
day  is  short,  the  work  is  great,  the  workers  are  sluggish,  the 
reward  is  immense,  and  the  Master  presses.  Not  thine  is  the 
task  to  do  all  the  work,  but  thou  art  not  relieved  of  thy  share 
therein.  Much  wisdom  brings  due  reward  ;  sure  is  thy  Master 
to  reward  thee  according  to  thy  merit ;  but  know  that  the  re- 
ivard  of  the  righteous  is  in  the  world  to  come."  In  the  same 
spirit  was  this  saying  uttered :  "  This  world  is  the  vestibule  of 
the  hereafter ;  prepare  in  the  vestibule,  so  that  thou  mayest  be 
received  in  the  palace  proper."  Judaism  is  thus  not  without 
its  heavenly  kingdom,  and  as  these  sayings  are  older  than 
Christianity,  what  remains  for  us  to  conclude? 

Grand  ethical  principles  are  imparted  in  the  following  lines 
by  rabbis  of  the  highest  authority  :  "  Contemplate  these  three 
points,  and  sin  will  lose  all  her  power  over  thee ;  know  whence 
thou  comest ;  whither  thou  goest ;  and  before  ivhom  thou  art 
bound  to  give  account  of  self. — Pray  for  the  prosperity  of  the 
ruling  government,  for,  but  for  the  awe  it  inspires,  man  would 
devour  his  fellow. — Only  knowledge  coupled  with  virtue  will 
fourish.  He  who  is  unloved  of  man  is  unloved  of  God. — The 
distinction  of  man  is  to  have  been  created  in  the  image  of  God  : 
but  a  greater  distinction  is  to  be  fully  conscious  thereof. — Every- 
thing is  seen  ;  man  has  free  choice  ;  the  world  is  judged  with 
mercy  ;  much  depends  on  the  amount  of  good  done. — Where  the 
Divine  Law  is  unheeded  there  is  no  benevolence  practiced. — 
Where  there  is  lack  of  wisdom  there  is  no  fear  of  God. — No 
bread,  no  culture  ;  no  culture, no  bread. — He  whose  knowledge 
outweighs  his  righteousness  resembles  a  tree  of  roots  too  weak 
to  support  its  boughs  ;  the  first  gale  will  uproot  it ;  but  armed 
in  virtue,  no  storm  in  the  world  can  shake  him."  Here  are 
indeed  "  Jewish  Realities." 

This  must  answer  our  purpose.  Our  mines  are  verily  inex- 
haustible, and  it  were  a  vain  effort  to  exhibit  all  our  uncoined 
bullion.  This  modest  display  of  specie  current  in  the  Jewish 
home  and  school  will  convey  a  fair  idea  of  the  precious  metals 
it  has  been  coined  of.  Jesus  was  not  heard  of  when  many  of 
these  were  already  living  principles  in  Israel ;  and  we  are  be- 
ing urged  to  derive  spiritual  inspiration  and  ethical  enlighten- 


217 

ment  from  the  few  distorted  Jewish  ideas  expressed  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  or  in  the  apocryphal  gospels.  Devoted 
to  wisdom,  and  striving  for  prosperity  and  happiness,  we  are 
expected  to  subscribe  to  ignorance  and  curse  the  thinking,  the 
wealthy,  and  the  happy.  The  founder  of  Christianity  assures 
us  that  "  it  is  easier  for  the  camel  to  pass  through  the  eye  of  a 
needle  than  for  the  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
And  those  mad  curses  of  Lucas  :  "  Woe  betide  the  rich !  woe 
to  the  well-fed !  woe  to  the  laughing  !  woe  to  you  for  whom 
every  one  has  a  kind  word  ! "  Such  curses  are  abominable 
to  the  ethical  sanity  of  Israel,  who  prays  for  enlightenment, 
wealth,  and  happiness,  and  favors  joyous  laughter,  as  God's 
precious  blessing,  keeping  man  good-humored,  thus  accessible 
and  open  to  the  noblest  of  virtues — charity  and  humanity. 
"  Poverty  is  worse  than  fifty  blows,"  say  our  sages ;  and  "  in- 
spiration is  only  granted  to  the  wise  and  good-humored."  An- 
other Talmudical  passage  maintains,  that  "the  poorest  is  he 
toho  is  poor  in  spirit ;  having  no  reason,  ivhat  hast  thou  ?  having 
this,  ivhat  lacketh  thee  ?  "  M 

Our  ethical  realism  and  its  actualization  are  as  phenomenal 
as  the  giving  of  the  Law  amidst  the  thunders  of  Sinai. 
Renan  was  not  the  first  to  discover  the  fact  that  Israel  is  not  a 
religious  power  only,  though  it  stood  and  stands  as  such  as  the 
ideal  of  humanity.  Judaism  was  ever  conscious  of  its  social 
and  moral,  not  less  than  of  its  spiritual,  mission,  all  three  be- 
ing so  intimately  interlaced  that  it  is  impossible  to  see  where 
the  one  begins  and  where  the  other  ends.  Throughout  our 
vast  literature  the  student  is  astonished  to  find  infinitely  more 
solicitude  displayed  about  the  righteous  relations  of  man  to 
man,  than  those  of  man  to  God.  The  Day  of  Atonement 
cleanses  man  of  his  sins  against  God,  but  not  of  his  wrongs 
against  his  fellow-man,  until  every  wrong  has  been  righted 
and  the  wound  healed.  The  Church  never  ceased  to  grace 
herself  with  Jewish  glories,  claiming  them  as  her  own,  and 
when  the  Jew  raised  his  timid  voice  in  protest  he  was  argued 
down  with  the   rod   or   the  torch.      Deprived  of   these  the 


rrnon  no  mp  r\y\  ?n'jp  no  mon  n;n  .nro  xSk  'Jj*  p«54 


218 

situation  of  the  Church  grows  critical,  and  her  spiritual  pros- 
pects are  anything  but  cheerful. 

Perhaps  nothing  is  so  false  as  the  claim  of  Christianity  to 
have  raised  woman  to  the  place  which  is  legitimately  hers. 
The  very  reverse  of  this  claim  is  historically  established.  From 
the  age  of  Sarah,  the  honored  consort  of  the  first  great  Hebrew, 
to  the  age  of  Judith  Montefiore,  woman  in  Israel  was  the 
sacred  Yestal,  reverenced  at  the  Jewish  home,  the  soul  and 
centre  of  the  Jewish  family.  Our  Proverbs  glorify  woman, 
declaring  the  virtuous  housewife  the  most  precious  of  God's 
jewels.  It  were  superfluous  to  refer  to  our  Deborahs,  Han- 
nahs, Esthers,  Iluldahs,  and  Miriams,  who  played  such  a 
mighty  part  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  their  people,  and  we 
have  sufficiently  indicated  the  place  post-Biblical  lore  assigns 
to  womanhood.  When  Koheleth  asserts  to  have  found  one 
good  man  among  a  thousand,  but  not  a  good  woman,  man's 
moral  superiority  is  not  very  seriously  emphasized.  But  how 
did  for  centuries  Christianity  treat  the  mother  of  mankind  ? 
Paul  would  have  her  locked  in  a  chicken-coop.  To  Tertullian's 
saintly  mind  she  is  the  "  devil's  gateway."  Clement,  of  Alex- 
andria, reached  the  conclusion  that  woman  must  blush  "  even 
to  reflect  of  what  nature  she  is,"  while  Gregory  Thaumaturgus 
assures  us  that  "  a  person  may  find  one  man  chaste  among  a 
thousand,  but  a  woman  never."  His  saintship  must  have  had 
curious  experiences  as  regards  man's  and  woman's  chastity. 

"  What  the  early  Christian  did,"  said  Dr.  Donaldson,  recently, 
in  the  Contemporary  Beview,  "  was  to  strike  the  male  out  of 
the  definition  of  man,  and  human  being  out  of  the  definition  of 
woman.  *  *  *  She  was  on  the  earth  to  inflame  the  heart 
of  man  with  every  evil  passion."  Her  company  secured  by 
marriage  was  deemed  a  pollution  to  the  holy  ministers  of  the 
Church.  Children  were  considered  one  of  the  smallest  bless- 
ings, and  family  life  not  a  state  to  be  desired,  for  "  the  cleric 
would  rise  to  the  throne  of  heaven  only  on  the  wings  of  vir- 
ginity," is  the  assurance  of  Church  ethics.  What  the  "  vir- 
ginity "  of  the  cleric  implied,  we  all  know  at  this  date.  Such 
a  religion  ought  to  be  transferred  to  the  dead  moon,  where  it 
were  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  dismal  surroundings.     For 


219 

this  living  world  which  invites  man  to  eat,  drink,  sing,  laugh, 
think,  do  good,  be  wise,  worship,  hope,  rejoice,  live  and  let 
live,  Judaism  is  the  only  universally  acceptable  faith.  The 
sweetest  human  sympathies  and  affections  are  at  home  with  the 
Jew,  whose  greatest  happiness  and  success  in  life  are  to  see  a 
large,  noble  family  rise  and  prosper  under  his  loving  auspices. 
Dr.  Donaldson  continues :  "  During  this  period  there  is  a 
striking  absence  of  home  life  in  the  history  of  Christians.  No 
son  succeeds  his  father ;  no  wife  comforts  the  weary  student ; 
no  daughter  soothes  the  sorrows  of  the  aged  bishop.  Perhaps 
this  absence  of  domestic  affection,  this  deficiency  in  healthy  and 
vigorous  offsprings,  this  homelessness  may  account  in  some 
degree  for  the  striking  features  of  the  next  century,  and  es- 
pecially the  prevalent  hardness  of  heart."  Perhaps !  That 
period,  and  many  periods  after  that,  were  Hecate's  black  cycles 
of  vice  and  crime,  a  truly  Messianic  era  of  love  and  peace, 
during  which  prominent  among  the  sacred  studies  of  the  holy 
men  was  the  subject,  "  how  every  heretic  should  be  put  to  death 
in  this  life,  and  tortured  eternally  in  the  world  to  come." 
Judaism  blushes  to  claim  mothership  of  so  monstrous  a  birth  ; 
but  things  have  changed  of  late,  especially  since  the  Ecclesia 
had  her  venom  extracted  and  her  stings  dulled. 

Israel's  Divine  Constitution  placed  him  beyond  the  necessity 
of  borrowing  ethical  principles  from  any  philosophical  system, 
old  or  new.  Its  definition  of  good  and  evil,  right  and  wrong, 
true  and  false,  things  eternal  and  things  perishable,  is  final. 
The  "  seven  wise  "  of  ancient  Greece  bequeathed  us  little  in- 
deed that  could  be  compared  with  Mosaic  ethics.  "Know 
thyself,"  and  "  Exaggerate  nothing "  is  not  the  sum  of  all 
wisdom,  since  one  may  know  himself  and  be  accurate  in  all 
things,  yet  be  a  rogue  of  the  first  grade.  Socrates  is  painfully 
looking  for  the  good  and  the  true,  continuing  doubtful  as  to 
the  "  finest  of  goods,"  a  doubt  our  ethics  know  not  of.  Our 
Divine  Law  is,  in  itself,  the  perfect  knowledge  of  the  perfect 
good.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  comply  with  its  principles. 
Pasran  and  Christian  ethics  fall  far  below  those  sublime  pre- 
cepts  enjoined  in  the  Divine  Law,  where  man  is  required  to  do 
good  because  it  is  good,  and  for  no  other  reason.     "  Love  God 


220 

with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  might." 
"  The  real  Jew  is  he  who  does  the  will  of  his  Creator  because  of 
loving  Him"  is  a  leading  ethical  rule  in  Judaism.  The  next 
rule  is,  "  works,"  not  mere  "  faith,"  are  to  test  man's  ethical 
quality.  In  modern  ethical  philosophy  we  find  nothing  but  a 
rehash  of  Jewish  ethics.  More  says :  "  If  it  be  good  that  one 
man  should  be  supplied  with  the  means  of  living  well  and 
happy,  it  is  mathematically  certain  that  it  is  doubly  good  that 
two  should  be  supplied,  and  so  on."  The  general  good  and 
happiness  is  the  highest  goal  of  our  ethical  code.  When  the 
same  authority  maintains  that  "  ethics  is  the  art  of  living  well 
and  happy,"  and  that  true  happiness  lies  in  "the  pleasure 
which  the  soul  derives  from  the  sense  of  virtue,"  he  simply 
repeats  an  old  Jewish  principle,  that  good  works  ought  to 
spring  from  love  of  God,  and  not  from  fear  of  punishment. 
"  The  idea  of  a  Supreme  Being,"  says  Locke,  "  infinite  in 
power,  goodness,  and  wisdom,  whose  workmanship  we  are,  and 
upon  whom  we  depend,  and  the  idea  of  ourselves  as  under- 
standing, rational  beings,  being  such  as  are  clear  in  us,  would, 
I  suppose,  if  duly  considered  and  pursued,  afford  such  founda- 
tions of  our  duty  and  rules  of  action,  as  might  place  morality 
among  the  sciences  capable  of  demonstration,  wherein,  I  doubt 
not,  out  from  self-evident  propositions,  by  necessary  con- 
sequences as  incontestable  as  in  mathematics,  the  measure  of 
right  and  wrong  might  be  made  out."  Locke  could,  in  this 
respect,  learn  at  the  feet  of  Philo.  To  the  Jewish  thinker, 
the  Supreme  Being  is  not  an  idea  but  a  reality,  and  His  Law 
of  right  and  wrong  is  the  immutable  ethical  law. 

Our  limited  space  gives  us  no  latitude  to  enter  into  further 
details  as  to  the  relation  of  modern  moral  philosophy  to  ethical 
Judaism.  A  survey  of  the  best  ethical  systems  extant  leads  us 
to  the  conviction  that  they  are  all  an  imperfect  scientific  gen- 
eralization of  those  revealed  and  inspired  ethical  doctrines 
which  are  of  a  hoary  antiquity  in  Israel.  As  grammar  is  the 
science  that  methodizes  speech  and  subjects  it  to  certain  rules, 
so  is  moral  philosophy  but  a  methodizing  effort  engaged  in 
systematizing  what  is  intuitively  a  developed,  ever-growing 
power,  a  power  all-permeating,  supreme,   and  indigenous  in 


221 

the  Jewish  heart.  It  was  a  Jewish  thinker  who  taught  that 
reason  is  identical  with  revelation  in  so  far  as  it  slowly  and  by 
sinuous  ways  reaches  tardily  what  revelation  anticipates.  If 
it  be  not  our  merit,  it  is  certainly  our  distinction  granted  by 
Divine  Grace  to  possess  what  is  indispensable  to  the  bodily 
and  spiritual  well-being  of  all  our  fellow-men.  In  our  Divine 
Law  and  its  concurrent  literature  there  is  the  unsealed  Zemzem 
well  of  living  truth,  ethical  and  spiritual.  The  proof  of  its 
truth  lies  in  the  fact  of  Israel's  moral  vitality.  Nothing  short 
of  Providential  Guardianship  underlies  JeshururCs  preserva- 
tion. Ethically  imbued  with  that  self-sacrificing  virtue  which 
sets  principle  above  everything  else,  our  fathers,  even  in  the 
land  of  the  foe,  lived  inwardly  resigned,  self -contented, 
hopeful,  aye,  happy  in  adversity,  happy  in  their  conscious- 
ness of  a  divine  heroism;  above  all,  happy  in  the  ethical 
works  of  a  faith  the  ultimate  end  of  which  is  to  alleviate 
human  suffering  and  sorrow,  and  to  unite  all  men  on  the 
principle  of  perfect  equality.  No  social  condition,  however 
humble,  relieves  the  Jew  of  ethical  duties  toward  his  brother. 
"  Even  he  who  depends  on  benevolence  must  be  charitable,"  is 
a  Jewish  saying  worthy  of  notice. 

Acting  on  this  principle  the  homeless,  wandering  Jew  dis- 
penses a  mite  of  his  mite  to  dry  the  tear  and  allay  the  hunger 
of  the  unfortunate.  His  house  ivas  and  is  the  home  of  the 
poor.  Over  his  wife  and  children  he  bends  with  consecrated 
love,  his  tearful  blessings  dropping  as  the  dew  of  heaven,  con- 
scious of  sweet  sorrow,  a  martyr  to  an  ideal.  What  we  say 
here  of  the  Israelite  in  exile,  many  others  know  as  well ;  but 
we  have  seen  him  in  different  climes,  under  various,  often  un- 
supportable,  circumstances,  yet  never  shrinking  as  often  as 
conviction  imposed  self-sacrifice.  We  have  seen  the  poor  Jew 
divide  his  crust  of  bread  with  the  hungry ;  give  of  the  small 
means  he  had  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  dwell  in  the  Holy 
Land.  We  have  seen  him  implore  the  forgiveness  of  him  he 
had  injured  and  humbly  offering  redress,  obeying  the  prompt- 
ing of  no  other  but  the  ethical  quality.  An  aged  father 
cuffing  publicly  a  son  advanced  in  years  in  the  presence  of  his 
children,  is  a  sight  we  remember,  and  see  in  spirit  the  filial 


222 

son  of  Israel  smile  submissively,  without  uttering  a  word;  a 
scene  not  exactly  aesthetical  yet  ethical  in  the  highest  degree. 
And  we  have  seen  in  lands  of  barbarous  oppression  the  Jew 
raise  hospitals  for  Jew  and  Gentile,  and  pray  for  a  govern- 
ment and  a  people  who  have  left  no  scheme  untried  to  reduce 
him  to  abject  misery.  Crucified  not  once  but  a  hundred  times, 
and  bleeding  from  many  a  wound,  the  actual  living  Jew,  not 
the  mythical  Jesus,  has  exclaimed  time  and  again :  "  Father,, 
forgive  them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do ; "  they,  one- 
half  of  whom  "  worship  a  Jewess,  and  the  other  half  a  Jew." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  VIEW   OF  JESUS ;    OUR  SPIRITUAL   REALITIES. 

An  ancient  writer  on  fine  architecture  exacts  of  that  art  the 
three  elements  of  stability,  of  utility,  and  beauty.  Modern 
authors,  who  have  given  us  their  views  on  the  same  art, 
enlarge  and  qualify  the  number  of  conditions  on  which  the 
secret  of  architectural  grandeur  depends ;  they  speak  of  size, 
proportion,  harmony,  symmetry,  ornament,  and  color.  The 
builder  of  the  Egyptian  pyramid,  of  the  Grecian  temple,  of 
the  Gothic  cathedral,  and  the  colossal  structures  of  Stone- 
henge,  in  order  to  impress  one  with  a  sense  of  pleasure,  had, 
in  a  measure,  to  comply  with  those  elemental  rules.  Had  he 
succeeded  in  fully  satisfying  the  requirements  of  the  art,  he 
should  have  reached  the  ideal  of  perfect  beauty  and  grandeur. 
Except  size,  the  conditions  which  govern  stability,  utility,  and 
beauty  in  the  domain  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  appear  to  be 
very  much  the  same.  Size  devoid  of  those  aesthetic  elements 
is  not  alone  undelightful  but  even  repugnant,  as  is  proved  by 
the  remarkable  impression  one  receives  at  the  sight  of  the 
huge  elephant  by  the  side  of  the  beautifully  proportioned, 
symmetrical,  and  spirited  race  horse.  The  claims  and  truth 
of  spiritual  might  are  likewise  to  be  tested  by  its  harmonious, 
symmetrical  consistency,  say,  by  the  proportion  its  real  en- 
deavors and  successes  bear  to  its  ideal  pretensions.  Religion 
must  take  cognizance  of  the  science  of  aesthetics,  since,  in  her 
practical  application,  she  has  not  alone  to  realize  the  truthful 
and  the  sublime,  but  should  never  offend  the  sense  of  the 
beautiful ;  above  all,  shun  as  pestilence  the  incongruous  and 
the  ludicrous.  Assumed  superiority  may  long  resist  the  most 
earnest  of  protests,  but,  growing  incongruous,  it  pales  and 
withers  at  the  sound  of  laughter.  Ridicule  is  the  deadly  anni- 
hilating Nemesis  of  falsehood.    They  in  Japan  once  persuaded 

(223) ' 


224 

the  Mikado  that,  while  he  was  sitting  on  his  throne,  the  globe 
was  in  danger  should  he  stir.  To  prevent  the  universal  catas- 
trophe the  royal  dupe  used  to  sit  for  hours  as  deadly  still 
as  an  idol.  The  world  could  not  help  laughing,  and  the 
laughter  killed  the  Mikado.  Frederick  the  Great  was  less 
afraid  of  three  armies  than  of  Voltaire's  laughter,  and  the 
Jansenists  and  Jesuits  had  good  reason  to  hate  Luther  much 
less  than  Moliere's  Tartuffe.  The  pensive  owl  is  dangerous 
enough  to  such  as  are  in  dread  of  thought  and  light,  since, 
wherever  they  hide,  there  is  no  telling  hut  the  owl  may  be 
there  as  well,  and  know  all  about  it.  But  the  owl  is  Jupiter's 
bird  compared  with  the  loud-talking  and  laughing  parrot. 
Truth  is  always  equal  to  self.  Falsehood  is  compelled  ever  to 
be  on  the  alert,  to  study  words  and  miens,  and  to  cut  figures 
to  suit  her  ends,  conscious  all  the  while  of  instability  and 
incongruity. 

The  fatal  flaw  of  orthodox  Christianity  is  flagrant  incon- 
gruity. Its  very  founder  or  founders  appear  inconsistent  in 
word  and  deed.  Jesus  claims  to  be  the  Messiah,  the  "  prince 
of  peace,"  and  his  peaceful  mission  on  earth  is  announced 
in  these  words :  "  Think  not  that  I  came  to  send  peace  on 
earth ;  I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  the  sword."  And 
elsewhere  he  emphasizes  his  mission  by  saying :  "  I  am  come 
to  arouse  man  against  his  father,  the  daughter  against  her 
mother,  and  the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law." 
Warning  his  followers  not  to  transgress  the  smallest  ordinance 
of  Mosaism — "  He  who  repeals  one  of  these  smallest  com- 
mandments and  thus  teaches  the  people,  will  be  the  smallest 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven" — he  himself  breaks  the  Sabbath, 
which  is  one  of  the  Ten  Commandments.  These  are  stum- 
bling-blocks in  the  way  of  sincere  research.  Mohammed  jus- 
tifies some  of  his  shortcomings  as  being  his  special  privilege 
as  a  prophet ;  so  does  Jesus  claim  to  be  "  lord  of  the  Sabbath  " 
to  break  it.  It  was  a  Talmudical  saying  that  "the  Sabbath  was 
given  to  you,  not  you  to  the  Sabbath,"  which,  however,  does 
not  imply  violation  of  the  Divinely  Consecrated  Day,  but 
mental  and  physical  ease,  rest,  and  peace.  Yet  even  the 
desecration  of  the  Sabbath  by  Jesus  did  not  justify  its  substi- 


225 

tution  by  Sunday,  which  was  a  rather  late  afterthought  of 
paganized  Christianity.  Springing  from  the  purest  of  sources, 
the  new  faith  spread  and  ramified  like  a  wild  inundation  to 
every  quarter  of  the  compass,  gathering  in  its  bed  all  the  im- 
purities of  heathen  fetichism  from  the  Egyptian  triad  down 
to  the  worship  of  bloody  Moloch.  The  inconsistency  of  the 
Church  is  not  merely  unsesthetic,  but  grimly  ironical. 

We  will  not,  like  the  anti-Semite,  dip  our  pen  in  venom 
and  bespatter  a  great  power  because  of  our  di  sagreement  with 
its  doctrines,  means,  and  methods.  Right  here  we  most  sin- 
cerely and  truthfully  assure  our  readers  that  we  humanely  love 
all  our  good  fellow-men  who  happen  to  be  Christians.  May 
that  liberal  Christianity  prosper  that  is  Christian  in  the  high- 
est and  noblest  acceptance  of  that  term,  working  for  human 
love,  peace,  and  happiness.  We  know  that  there  have  been 
humane,  generous  popes,  in  whom  the  feelings  of  humanity  tri- 
umphed over  a  barbarous  doctrine.  Moreover,  there  is  at  this 
moment  an  enlightened  Christianity  rising  into  fame  for  whom 
Israel  has  a  cordial  welcome,  a  brotherly  love.  Writing  these 
lines  in  the  heart  of  a  city  wherein  at  this  moment  over  a 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  homes  are  radiating  with  the  fes- 
tal beauties  of  an  almost  universal  joy,  having  been  preceded 
by  universal  work  and  profit,  we  cannot  but  rejoice  at  so  much 
benefit  and  happiness  accruing  to  mankind  from  a  creed 
which,  had  it  not  been  polluted,  we  would  bless  as  a  wayward, 
yet  not  unworthy,  scion  of  a  purer  parent.  But  with  each  of 
these  Christian  festivals  there  are  in  the  mind  of  Israel  hor- 
rid scenes  of  outrage  and  massacre  associated,  over  which  we 
would  readily  draw  a  curtain  were  they  a  matter  of  the  remote 
past.  Anti-Semitism  reminds  us  that  the  Evangelical  messen- 
gers of  peace  are  yet  at  large,  and,  though  hopelessly  crip- 
pled, are  up  and  doing  their  very  best  or,  say,  their  very  worst. 
This  is  the  class  we  are  bound  to  brand  as  the  devil's  messen- 
gers, who  deceive  the  world  by  their  honeyed  lies,  and  poison 
its  peace  by  the  venom  they  instill  into  the  unguarded  mind 
of  Christian  youth  and  credulity.  Christian  and  Jew  ought  to 
know  and  stigmatize  that  class  as  the  enemies  of  peace,  and 
make  them  the  butt  of  scorn,  the  object  of  pity  and  contempt. 


226 

Robert  Browning  is  honored  with  a  grave  among  the  choicest 
sons  who  made  England  glorious  and  the  world  a  good  deal 
wiser  and  better,  and  of  him  the  editor  of  the  Western 
Watchman,  a  Catholic  priest  of  the  mediaeval  type,  has  the 
following  to  say :  "  Robert  Browning,  the  greatest  genius  of 
the  century,  according  to  many,  and  a  poet  entitled  to  rank 
with  Wordsworth  and  Goethe,  in  the  opinion  of  a  few,  the 
man  who  sought  the  soul  of  things  and  not  their  outward  in- 
tegument, who  neglected  the  form,  but  oh,  the  sense,  ye  gods ! 
the  weighty  sense,  died  last  week,  and  a  dispute  has  already 
arisen  as  to  whether  the  man  was  Jew  or  Christian.  We  never 
had  much  respect  for  poets,  but  we  shall  have  less  hencefor- 
ward."   Such  are  the  pillars  who  uphold  the  orthodox  Church. 

Now,  though  frequent  reference  has  been  made  in  these 
pages  to  Christianity  and  its  founder,  a  positive  view  of  his 
personality  may  not  be  out  of  place  in  this  chapter,  and  such 
we  propose  to  give  before  drawing  an  outline  of  our  spiritual 
realities.  Strauss,  Renan,  and  Baur  have  done  their  part  in 
throwing  a  flood  of  light  on  Jesus,  his  apostles,  and  their  gos- 
pels, and  we  had  our  say  on  these.  At  present  we  shall  not 
stop  to  inquire  whether  or  no,  at  the  given  date  or  a  century 
before,  there  really  lived  such  a  man  of  such  a  nature,  en- 
dowed with  such  superhuman  powers  as  the  primitive  Church 
fathers  tell  of.  Setting  aside  the  question  of  the  record's  ve- 
racity and  the  gospel's  authenticity  as  far  as  the  supernatural 
elements  therein  are  concerned,  there  remains  no  plausible 
reason  for  doubting  the  individuality  of  the  man  who  gave 
rise  to  the  Christian  religion  ;  and,  admitting  the  personality 
of  Jesus,  we  are  induced  to  see  him  from  three  different 
standpoints  :  the  historical,  the  mythical,  and  the  symbolical. 

In  the  historical  Jesus  we  see  a  person  of  a  visionary  gen- 
ius, born  at  a  troublous  age,  when  the  general  decline  of  things 
caused  Israel  to  expect  a  helper ;  a  man  powerful  enough  to 
deal  with  the  might  of  all-swallowing  Rome ;  to  carry,  like 
Judas  Maccabeus,  Jehovah's  banner  to  the  discomfiture  of  the 
heathen  gods ;  to  rule  like  Samuel,  Solomon,  and  Elijah,  with 
the  "  rod  of  his  lip.'1  The  air  was  full  of  reveries  and  proph- 
ecy.    The  times  were  such  as  "  tried  men's  souls ;"  the  helper 


227 

was  looked  and  longed  for ;  the  public  mind  was  prepared  for 
the  extraordinary,  the  miraculous,  the  impossible.  A  young 
man  of  a  sympathetic,  responsive,  enthusiastic,  and  generous 
disposition,  endued  with  a  vivid  imagination,  as  the  son  of 
Joseph  and  Mary  appears  to  have  been,  could  catch  fire  at  the 
incipiency  of  a  conceit,  and  could  easily  persuade  himself  that 
he  might  be  the  preordained  Messiah.  Many  before  and  after 
him  were  similarly  afflicted,  though  less  successful  as  to  re- 
sults, the  field  and  conditions  being  less  favorable.  Dreams 
deluded  him  into  all  kinds  of  religious  aberrations,  carrying 
him  away  from  the  prescribed  course  of  Jewish  life,  until, 
drifting  too  far,  return  was  not  easy,  and  the  boldest  course 
appeared  the  wisest.  Everybody  knows  how,  even  at  this  date, 
one  may  found  a  new  creed  by  boldly  defying  all  authority  and 
proclaiming  a  doctrine  more  acceptable  than  those  in  vogue. 

Yet  did  the  Messianic  claim  of  Jesus  meet  with  little  cre- 
dence even  among  the  vulgar,  for  we  are  assured  that  his 
followers  were  few,  and  his  own  mother  and  brothers  were 
first  among  the  faithless,  as  he  himself  testifies  by  refusing  to 
admit  them  to  his  presence.  Had  he  not  openly  violated  the 
Sabbath;  had  he  not  proclaimed  himself  the  "king  of  the 
Jews  "  at  a  time  when  Rome  was  jealous  of  her  suzerainty,  the 
whole  thing  would  most  probably  have  passed  off  as  many 
similar  vagaries  before  and  after  him.  As  matters  stood,  we 
assume  the  Jews  had  to  take  notice  of  his  dealings  and,  them- 
selves unable  to  mete  out  capital  punishment,  which  the  viola- 
tion of  the  Sabbath  and  other  transgressions  imposed,  they 
drew  the  attention  of  Roman  authority  to  the  doings  of  one 
who  religiously  and  politically  became  a  menace  to  the  state 
and  the  people.  They  were  in  a  dilemma,  had  to  do  some- 
thing, and  did  certainly  not  do  the  ivisest  thing.  Left  to  him- 
self, the  extravagant,  contradictory  claims  and  teachings  of 
Jesus  would  have  defeated  his  ends ;  for  any  one  who  knows 
our  Prophecy  and  tradition  is  utterly  disgusted  with  the  mis- 
quotations and  perversions  as  the  gospels  reproduce  them  in 
his  name.  But  his  blood  was  shed.  Making  allowance  for 
many  exaggerations,  there  remains  little  doubt  that  he  died  a 
victim  to  popular  excitement  and  Roman  cruelty.   He  sustained 


228 

a  martyr's  death ;  was  hooted  and  scorned  by  the  mob ;  had 
a  crown  of  thorns  planted  on  his  brow ;  was  scourged,  out- 
raged, and  crucified,  all  for  an  apparently  innocent  preten- 
sion. The  impression  such  an  execution  under  like  circum- 
stances would  in  our  days  make  on  the  mind  of  the  credulous, 
is  not  to  be  doubted.  The  very  rabble  that  clamored  for  his 
execution  must  have  turned  pale  on  seeing  the  deluded  victim 
transfixed  and  bleeding  in  agonies  on  the  cross.  Blood  has 
done  what  nothing  in  the  world  could  have  done — it  deified 
a  man.  Once  buried  marvelous  legends  clustered  round  his 
memory ;  everything  deemed  wise  and  best  by  his  followers 
was  put  to  his  credit.  He  did  and  he  said  all  good  and  won- 
derful things. 

The  times  were  ripe  for  a  change.  Paganism  was  in  its  ex- 
piring throes.  Greece  and  Rome  found  it  difficult  to  uphold 
their  gods.  New  philosophies  were  undermining  the  last  hold 
of  polytheism.  The  field  was  vast  and  almost  free,  the  chances 
for  the  spread  of  a  new  spiritual  doctrine  were  good.  In  its 
old  garb,  Judaism  was  unpalatable,  yea,  repugnant,  to  the 
heathen,  who  was  deeply  prejudiced  against  it.  In  its  changed 
dress  and  form  it  was  a  novelty.  Converts  multiplied,  and  as 
the  years  advanced  incredible  tales  were  accepted  as  matters 
of  fact.  The  founder's  personality  was  magnified,  glorified, 
and  at  last  deified,  until  the  most  prosaic  facts  were  buried  in 
a  sea  of  myth  and  miracle.  Thus  came  into  being  the  man- 
god,  the  mythical  Jesus. 

This  person  does  supernatu rally  arrive  at  this  nether  world. 
The  stars  and  all  nature  announce  his  birth.  He  is  born  of  a 
virgin  and  begotten  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  a  babe  he  per- 
forms miracles ;  angels  watch  over  him.  Later  on  Satan 
tempts  him.  Having  spent  his  youth  among  the  great  teachers 
in  Israel  he  is  raised  to  membership  of  the  august  Sanhedrin, 
is  very  learned,  disputes  with  the  greatest  of  his  school,  and  is 
ever  triumphant.  He  is  the  "  son  of  God,"  "  the  promised 
Messiah,"  sent  to  redeem  mankind  that,  since  the  loss  of  para- 
dise, fell  a  prey  to  hell  and  the  devil.  His  later  career  is  a 
chain  of  miracles  ;  the  evil  spirits  are  in  dread  of  him  ;  he 
transfers  them  from  body  to  body,  from  men  to  swine  ;    he 


229 

heals  the  sick  and  the  leper,  calls  the  dead  to  life,  makes  the 
lame  walk  straight,  and  gives  sight  to  the  blind.  lie  feeds 
multitudes  with  the  food  of  a  few  ;  changes  water  into  wine  ; 
paces  on  the  wave  as  on  dry  land ;  curses  and  blesses  with  im- 
mediate effect ;  prepares  for  his  crucifixion  ;  dies  praying  for 
his  enemies  and  promising  paradise  to  the  two  thieves  who 
are  crucified  with  him.  Triumphing  over  death  and  the 
grave  he  resurrects  after  three  days,  reappears  to  some  of  his 
faithful  pupils,  and  ascends,  transfigured,  to  the  skies,  a  prince 
of  peace,  to  take  his  seat  at  the  "  right  hand  of  his  Father."  M 
Such  is  the  Jesus  of  the  orthodox  Church,  a  being  more  gra- 
cious than  his  Divine  Father,  Who  would  not  forgive  human 
frailty  until  expiated  by  the  blood  of  "  His  only  Son,"  a  cruel, 
atrocious  Father,  it  is  too  clear. 

Thus  did  the  Church  change  the  loving,  gracious  Jehovah 
into  a  ferocious  Nemesis,  whose  vengeance  nothing  but  the 
blood  of  His  only  "  Son  "  could  appease.  The  spirit  of  sacred 
awe,  Divine  reverence,  the  genius  of  sane  intellect  rises  in  re- 
volt against  such  a  monstrous  doctrine,  such  a  preposterous 
Theosophy.  Moreover,  that  ludicrous  inconsistency  of  hating 
the  ancient  Jew,  and  heaping  shame  and  misery  on  his  late  de- 
scendants because  of  his  having  done  what  had  been  preor- 
dained for  the  salvation  of  humanity  ;  because  he  did  what  to 
propitiate  a  vengeful  Creator  had  to  be  done.  Everything,  that 
Theosophy  teaches,  had  been  planned  out  beforehand,  so  that 
the  crucifixion  was  the  culmination  of  a  beneficent  scheme  laid 
by  the  God-Father  and  His  compassionate  Son ;  and  the  Jews 
are  to  be  punished  for  having  done  what  the  gods  prompted 
them  to  do  ?  Is  not  this  punishing  one  for  obedience,  or  for 
acting  as  an  instrument  of  the  Highest  Will  ? 

But  the  mythical  Jesus  and  his  doctrines  defy  all  reason  and 
losic.  Blind  faith,  submission  to  the  unreasonable,  are  the  per- 
emptory  demands  of  the  Gospels  and  the  Koran.     Never  was  a 


55  We  are  here,  in  many  regards,  reminded  of  the  Magian  theosophy. 
The  story  of  Zoroaster  is,  to  a  large  extent,  that  of  Jesus,  (rod  at  war 
with  Satan,  filling  the  place  of  Ormuzd  and  Ahriman.  Zoroaster  spoke 
as  soon  as  born,  wandered  about  fasting  in  the  desert,  and  was,  likewise, 
tempted  by  Satan.     We  ask:  Who  copied  of  whom? 


230 

fiercer  firebrand  thrown  into  this  world  than  when  the  myth- 
ical Jesus  hurled  His  ultimatum  of  "  Who  is  not  ivith  me  is 
against  me"  which  means :  "  No  peace  unless  you  think  as  I 
think,  believe  what  I  say,  and  do  what  I  command."  The  sword 
of  Mohammed  proved  less  fatal  to  the  peace  of  the  world  than 
that  declaration  of  war  on  free  thought  and  God-worship. 
With  the  mythical  Jesus  rises  Hecate  with  her  black  crews, 
idolatry  in  all  her  hideousness,  an  infernal  world  of  unspeaka- 
ble horrors,  thronged  with  fiends  who  torture  erring  humanity. 
And  lest  there  be  any  doubt  as  to  the  reality  of  hellish  torture 
in  the  beyond,  to  establish  the  "  heavenly  kingdom  "  of  the 
mythical  Jesus  here  myriads  of  human  victims  perished  in 
the  fires  kindled  by  the  Church  of  the  meek  "prince  of  peace  ;" 
hell-fires  glowed  in  Christian  lands  ;  hell-tortures  were  inflicted 
in  Christian  prisons  ;  hell-hatred  burned  in  Christian  hearts. 
If  the  promised  paradise  of  the  mythical  Jesus  required  some 
confirmation  his  hell  was  a  burning  reality.  The  Dark  Ages 
are  the  terrible  nightmare  conjured  up  on  this  planet  by  the 
dark  worshipers  of  the  mythical  Jesus.  The  Aztecs  tore  the 
heart  from  their  human  victim,  and  all  was  over.  The 
Christian  tore  his  victim  limb  by  limb,  mutilated  the  martyr 
day  after  day,  from  motives  less  pure  than  those  of  the  man- 
eating  Mexicans.  Ah  !  dwell  we  no  more  on  that  bloojd-thrill- 
ing  cycle  of  human  shame  and  madness.  Memory  burns  and 
cannot  forget  what  the  heart  has  long  ago  forgiven. 

Let  us  rather  turn  with  a  feeling  of  relief  to  the  symbolical 
Jesus,  who  gives  the  name  to  the  humane  principles  of  en- 
lightened Christianity.  To  the  liberal,  cultured  Christian  we 
take  Jesus  to  be  the  symbol  of  meekness,  kindness,  self-sacri- 
fice, love,  and  forgiveness,  a  veritable  prince  of  peace.  Divest- 
ing him  of  the  supernatural  and  mythical,  the  thoughtful  Chris- 
tian beholds  in  Jesus  a  benefactor  of  his  kind,  endeavoring  to 
universalize  that  Revelation  and  Prophecy  which  hitherto 
were  confined  to  a  limited  quarter  and  a  comparatively  small 
number  of  the  great  family  of  erring  man.  His  was  a  great 
mission,  who,  like  another  mythical  power,  stole  the  fire  of 
heaven  to  bestow  it  on  mankind  ;  for,  but  for  his  heroic  life 
and  death,  cycles  might  have  passed  before  the  knowledge  of 


231 

God  would  "  cover  the  earth  as  waters  cover  the  sea."  The 
best  in  Christianity  is  due  to  him  ;  for  its  evil  doings  he  is  not 
responsible.  Liberal  Christianity  does  consequent^  advance 
the  plausible  theory  that,  since  God  utters  His  will  and  de- 
crees through  the  events  of  history,  Jesus,  if  not  a  "  Son  of 
God  "  in  the  orthodox  acceptation  of  that  word,  was  decidedly 
an  extraordinary  personality,  Providentially  ordained  to  do 
a  great,  aye,  the  greatest,  work  one  man  had  ever  done,  a 
mighty  instrument  in  the  hand  of  the  Mightiest  God.  "We 
honor  not  Jesus  as  a  son  of  God ;  we  are  all  sons  of  God," 
says  the  Unitarian  ;  "  we  honor  him  merely  as  a  great,  good 
man  who  did  a  great,  good  work." 

To  this  theory  of  the  symbolical  Jesus — in  many  respects 
the  image  of  our  symbolical  Elijah — Judaism  opposes  no.  se- 
rious objections  save  that  in  conformity  with  this  view  there 
remains  no  ground  for  liberal  Christianity  to  break  any  of  the 
principal  doctrines  of  the  Old  Faith,  especially  the  Decalogue 
commanding  the  observance  of  the  Seventh  Day  as  the  True 
Sabbath.  Besides,  Jesus  being  no  more  than  a  good  man  or  a 
mere  symbol,  what  meaning  has  Christmas  or  Easter  to  the  lib- 
eral Church  ?  What  does  the  whole  "  new  covenant "  signify  to 
it  ?  If  God  be  the  Only  Author  of  all  that  is,  the  Bestower  of 
good  and  of  evil,  life  and  death,  why  turn  to  any  intermediary 
influence  for  salvation  ?  Why  not  let  the  finite  soul  commune 
with  The  Infinite  ?  Early  Christians  considered  themselves 
Jews  in  every  particular  except  in  their  idea  as  to  the  Messiah. 
Over  three  centuries  passed  before  the  Church  carried  out  the 
afterthought  of  transferring  the  Sabbath  to  Sunday.  A  return 
to  original  Christianity  necessitates  the  full  recognition  of  the 
Decalogue,  of  which  the  Sabbath  is  as  essential  a  command- 
ment as  the  worship  of  the  One  and  Only  God.  Progress  in 
the  right  direction  must  needs  bring  the  liberal  Church  nearer 
the  Synagogue,  the  question  being  one  of  time  only.  Granted 
once  that  Jesus  was  a  man,  the  Gospels  unauthentic,  and  the 
Church  fathers  arbitrary  in  their  dealings  with  matters  relig- 
ious and  others,  Judaism  remains  the  only  safe  basis  for  the 
religious  man  to  take  his  stand  on. 

The  genius  of  history  and  fact  confirms  us  in  our  conviction 


232 

that  Judaism  points  to  the  truest,  sublimest  faith,  the  loftiest 
system  of  ethics,  the  grandest  of  literatures ;  to  a  philosophy  in 
which  all  philosophies  centre,  to  a  record  of  deeds  and  virtues 
unexcelled,  unequaled.  Unconsciously  the  thinking  world  is 
paying  homage  to  the  Divine  Law,  expounding  tardily  what  is 
therein  revealed  in  undoubted  clearness.  Medical  science  tes- 
tifies to  the  wholesome  sanitary  regulations  interwoven  with 
the  ethical  beauties  of  our  Divine  Law,  certain  mortal  diseases 
being  unknown  in  Israel.  Study  our  ethics  ;  they  are  Divinely 
human,  humanly  divine.  Head  our  Bible,  read  it  with  the  soul, 
you  will  find  it  the  Book  of  books,  the  sublime  epitome  of  all 
sacred  thought.  Ours  is  the  history  of  histories.  What  mar- 
tyrdom equals  that  of  Israel,  he  a  hundred  times  crucified 
and  yet  alive?  Our  domesticity  is  the  purest  of  the  pure, 
our  Holy  Days  the  holiest  of  the  holy,  and  our  God  the  God 
of  gods.  Who  would  profit  should  we  yield  1  Who  will  not 
profit  yielding  to  us  ?  What  you  know  of  God  we  have  taught 
you.  What  you  know  not  of  the  soul's  sweetest  felicities  we 
can  teach  you.  Speak  of  heroism  !  Do  you  know  the  spiritual 
realities  of  the  Jew  %  Prejudice  blinds  the  eye  and  dulls  the 
edge  of  reason.  The  Jew  was  consistent,  often  erring,  but  as 
often  returning  to  his  God.  He  allowed  the  enemy  to  take 
his  city  rather  than  break  his  Sabbath  in  its  defense ;  he  gave 
himself  up  to  be  flayed  alive  or  be  cut  to  pieces  rather  than 
betray  his  faith ;  he  wandered  from  lands  of  plenty  into  deep 
misery  rather  than  desert  his  God.  True,  we  have  our  desert- 
ers, our  disloyal,  irreverent  traitors;  they  are  the  sores  on 
Israel's  healthy  body,  ever  present,  hurting  but  not  wound- 
ing. Like  all  other  races  we  have  our  rabble,  our  scum,  largely 
engendered  by  long,  severe  persecutions.  We  are  heartily 
ashamed  of  them,  but  they  are  not  as  bad  as  they  appear  ;  for 
they  have  soft  spots  in  their  hearts,  very  sensible  to  the.  magic  • 
touch  of  him  who  knows  under  what  spiritual  influences  they 
rose  into  manhood.  That  uncouth,  seemingly  rough  Jew  will 
weep  like  a  child  the  moment  he  hears  his  parents  named,  or 
is  reminded  of  his  old,  dear  home.  He  at  once  feels  his  par- 
ent's hand  rest  blessingly  on  his  head.  A  picture  of  felicity 
rises   before   his   mental   gaze.     His   eyes  are   suffused  with 


tears,  and  he  is  not  what  he  seemed.  Filial  love  and  Divine 
reverence  are  his  par  excellence.     He  loves  and  worships. 

An  undeniable  harmonious  consistency  marks  the  relation 
of  Israel's  lofty  ideal  dreams  to  his  realities.  Whereas  Chris- 
tianity confined  itself  to  proclaiming  high-sounding,  impracti- 
cable principles,  Judaism  carried  the  highest  into  actuality, 
requiring  its  votaries  to  go  in  juridical  as  well  as  in  ethical 
matters  beyond  the  limit  of  duty.56  It  is  not  enough  that  the 
Sabbath  and  the  Holy  Days  should  be  observed,  but  they  are 
to  be  lengthened  by  additional  hours,57  and  wherever  there 
was  the  least  doubt  as  to  the  day  fixed  by  Scripture,  to 
make  it  doubly  sure,  another  day  was  added.  He  is  deemed 
the  mightiest  who  fully  controls  his  passions  and  "  turns  his 
enemy  into  a  friend."58  Sacred  ecstasy  seizes  the  soul  of 
the  loyal  Israelite  at  the  proclamation  of  The  One  In- 
effably Holy.  Neither  the  ravings  of  the  fanatic  dervish 
nor  the  lunacy  of  the  revivalist  bear  any  similarity  to  the 
ecstatic  felicity  of  the  Jewish  worshiper,  when,  grasping  the 
full  bearing  of  his  sacred  mission,  he,  with  eyes  closed,  a 
heart  distended,  the  mind  soaring  in  the  effort  to  pierce  the 
deeps  of  mystery,  articulates  the  "  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our 
God  !  the  Lord  is  One !  "  The  Kabbalist  trembles  at  the  ut- 
terance of  The  Only  One!  The  love  of  God  with  all  his 
soul,  all  his  heart,  and  all  his  might,  is  to  the  Jew  a  spiritual 
reality  for  which  he  often  endured  the  crudest  of  tortures 
and  deaths.  Living  or  dying,  the  confession  of  Divine  Unity 
is  ever  on  the  lip  of  Israel's  true  son  and  daughter.  Jewish 
Holy  Days  are  spiritual  symbols  instituted  to  strengthen  the 
golden  chain  of  communion  between  Israel  and  his  God. 
Historical  or  otherwise,  our  festivals  are  hallowed  by  a  sanc- 
tification  unknown — we  dare  maintain — beyond  the  pale  of 
Judaism. 

A  perpetual  symbol x>f  the  immediate  relation  of  the  finite 
to  the  Infinite  Spirit  is  the  God-consecrated  Sabbath,  a  gracious 
gift  granted  to  Israel  as  a  foretaste  of  heavenly  rest  and 
peace.     Our  Sabbath  is  intended  to  relax  the  care,  toil,  and 

.ampn  Sy  Sinra  psPDin "     .pin  mityo  d^js1?  56 
.uniK  *oity  rwnpvt  'n  in:  irx68 


234 

anxieties  of  body  and  mind  and  to  double  the  spiritual  light 
and  delights  of  the  soul.59  The  Sabbatli  is  to  be  divided 
between  bodily  and  mental  pleasures.  The  study  of  the  Law, 
reading  of  sacred  poetry,  singing  of  Psalms,  and  worship  of 
The  Most  High  are  fit  Sabbatic  engagements;  also  visiting 
the  sick  and  ministering  to  the  poor  and  the  orphan.  The 
delights  of  that  resting-day  are  to  be  enhanced  by  the  best 
meals,  the  best  attire,  the  cleanest  underwear,  beautiful  sur- 
roundings; and  the  blessings  of  home  are  to  be  shared  in 
by  the  homeless,  the  poor,  and  the  stranger.  Everything  that 
tends  to  mar  the  ease  of  the  body  or  disturb  the  peace  of 
the  mind  must  be  avoided.  Happiness  and  enlightenment, 
joy  and  felicity,  moral  and  ideal,  are  the  aim  and  the 
end  of  the  Sabbath ;  ease  extended  to  every  living  creature, 
man  or  animal,  of  the  Jewish  household.  No  sooner  is  Fri- 
day's sun  declining  than  everything  and  everybody  at  the 
Jewish  home  assumes  an  air  of  rest,  serenity,  peace,  and 
holiness.  Spotless  linen  covers  the  table,  on  which  there 
are  the  two  sacred  loaves  of  bread.  The  matronly  genius 
presiding  over  the  house  looks  very  sober  and  solemn,  spreads 
her  hands  over  the  lighted  candles  and,  with  closed  eyes, 
blesses  and  welcomes  the  Sabbath,  her  grown  daughters  do- 
ing the  like  to  right  and  left.  The  head  of  the  house  is 
present,  and  both  parents  lay  their  blessing  hands  on  the  head 
of  each  child  before  proceeding  to  welcome  the  bride  of  the 
Sabbath  at  the  Synagogue,  after  which  the  happiest  of  eves  is 
spent  at  home.  There  is  no  doubt  whatsoever,  that  besides 
idealizing  the  environments  and  sentiments  of  the  individual 
Israelite,  the  Sabbath  lias  proved  the  mightiest  preserver  of 
Israel's  identity,  and  is  indeed  an  ineffaceable  landmark,  a 
"  perpetual  sign  "  between  Judaism  and  its  rival  powers.  The 
Sabbath  is  the  very  heart  of  our  religious  life  and  vitality ; 
break  this  and  all  is  doomed.  There  i»  weight  in  the  saying 
of  our  wise,  that  Zion  fell  because  of  Sabbath-breaking,60 
since  with  its  desecration  all   moral   and  spiritual   restraints 

59  Such  is  the  meaning  of  the  iiVIV  nDBU. 


235 

yielded   to   the  low,  the  unholy,  and  the  criminal.     The  ex- 
istence of  Judaism  is  bound  up  with  its  Sabbath. 

The  Feast  of  Passover  is  an  eloquent  reminder  of  an  event 
in  the  world's  history,  which,  with  or  without  the  wonders  re- 
corded, is,  seen  in  connection  with  subsequent  developments, 
calculated  to  impress  the  Jewish  mind  with  the  profoundest 
reverence  for  Divine  love,  justice,  and  retribution.  It  is  the 
feast  of  man's  universal  "  declaration  of  independence,"  the 
first  unmistakable  accentuation  of  man's  individual  right  to  be 
accountable  to  God  alone  as  the  Sovereign  and  Father  of  all. 
Tyranny  and  oppression,  slavery  and  falsehood,  are  branded  as 
crimes  accursed  of  God.  Deeply  imbued  with  the  sense  of 
inalienable  human  right  and  liberty,  Judaism  sees  in  that  Fes- 
tival an  eternal  symbol  of  spiritual  freedom,  and  commemorates 
the  Exodus  with  appropriate  emblems,  making  it  a  holy  day 
of  heartfelt  joy,  gratitude,  and  worship.  You  should  see  the 
genuine  Jewish  home  on  the  first  eve  of  Passover.  If  there 
be  melancholy  in  your  breast,  or  an  ice-crust  closing  round 
your  heart,  it  will  thaw,  melt,  and  vanish  at  the  sight  of  so 
much  ideal  human  joy  radiating  from  every  eye,  beaming  from 
the  face  of  youth  and  age.  It  is  expected  that  "  in  every  age 
every  one  should  act  and  feel  as  if  he  himself  had  been  freed 
from  Egypt,"  and  this  is  carried  out  to  the  letter.  Around  a 
table  whereon  everything  of  beauty  is  effectively  displayed, 
gathered  is  the  family,  the  parents  at  the  head,  the  children 
and  strangers  to  right  and  left.  There  is  on  the  table,  beside 
the  unleavened  bread,  the  wine  and  the  symbolical  bitter 
herbs.  The  glasses  are  filled.  All  present  rise  to  hear  the 
father  of  the  home  open  the  ceremony  with  the  benediction 
over  the  wine.  A  tear  steals  down  the  mother's  cheek.  One 
of  her  dearest  is  missed,  either  absent  or  dead.  Ah,  that  mix- 
ture of  joy  and  sorrow  so  characteristic  of  the  pure  Jewish 
home  !  But,  as  the  ceremony  advances,  the  praise  of  the  Good, 
Loving,  Just,  and  Gracious  God  resounds  around  the  table  and 
all  other  feelings  are  drowned  in  the  one  of  devotion.  "  And 
this  reliance  on  God's  redeeming  might  braced  our  sires  of  old 
as  it  consoles  us  now,  for  not  one  only  rose  to  destroy  us,  but 
age  after  age  rose  against  us,  yet  did  The  Almighty  save  us 


23G 

from  the  oppressor's  hand."  Around  the  world  this  family 
worship  in  the  Jewish  home  has,  besides  a  religious  and  his- 
torical, an  educational  significance ;  for  it  is  purposely  insti- 
tuted for  the  benefit  of  the  rising  generation.  The  youthful 
mind  is  to  be  impressed  with  the  grandeur  of  the  event  and 
the  unbounded  grace  of  Providence,  so  as  to  be  armed  for 
present  and  impending  misery.  For  is  not  Israel  still  in  bond- 
age, groaning  under  the  yoke  of  modern  Egypts  ?  The  Ameri- 
can, British,  and  French  Israelite  may  doubt  it,  but  he  who 
prays  in  *the  Synagogues  of  Russia,  Poumania,  Morocco,  and 
Persia  knows  too  well  that  the  Pharaohs  and  their  task-masters 
are  not  all  dead.  Often  has  that  eve  been  chosen  by  the 
priest-ridden  rabble  to  bring  desolation  on  whole  congrega- 
tions, who  were  in  a  moment  thrown  from  joy  into  deep 
sorrow ;  so  much  so,  that  the  approach  of  Passover  has  filled 
great  Jewish  communities  with  grave  apprehension,  dreading 
robbery  and  massacre  on  the  one  hand  and  the  infernal 
"  blood "  calumny  on  the  other.  Yet,  when  did  the  Jew 
hesitate  in  the  exercise  of  his  spiritual  privileges,  deterred 
by  danger  or  death  '(  If  I  am  no  Jew,  what  am  I  ?  If  there 
be  no  spirit,  what  is  there  ?  If  the  eternal  and  spiritual  be 
no  more  than  the  perishable  and  material,  what  is  life  worth  ? 
what  is  it  given  me  for  ?  asks  the  Jew. 

Originally  a  festival  of  harvest,  when  the  Hebrew  husband- 
man, having  gathered  in  the  fruit  of  his  fields  and  orchards, 
proceeded  to  God's  Temple  to  offer  thanks  for  His  blessings, 
Pentecost  assumed  in  time  a  purely  spiritual  meaning,  it  being 
traditionally  settled  as  the  Day  on  which  God  revealed  Him- 
self to  Israel  on  Mount  Sinai.  Occurring  seven  weeks  after 
the  second  day  of  Passover  it  is  sometimes  called  the  "  Feast 
of  Weeks,"  and  is  very  generally  admitted  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  of  our  Holy  Days.  Of  late  this  feast  has  been 
fittingly  utilized  as  a  day  of  confirmation,  opening  the  portals 
of  Israel's  fold  to  all  those  children  who  have  passed  the  age 
of  thirteen  years  and  beyond.  A  joyous,  spiritual  solemnity 
is  the  feature  of  this  grand  feast.  The  congregations  of  the 
Lord  rise  to  hear  the  Decalogue  read  from  the  Sacred  Scroll, 
after  which,  service  being  over,  the  confirmants  enter  to  tell 


237 

their  elders  what  they  have  been  taught  of  the  beauties  of  the 
ancient  faith.  Tears  are  shed  while  the  children  are  solemnly 
initiated  into  the  threefold  covenant  that  links  Israel  to  his 
God. 

Not  less  impressive  is  our  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  an  autumn 
festival  of  hoary  antiquity,  having  an  historical  and  agricul- 
tural significance.  During  our  stay  in  the  Promised  Land 
this  used  to  be  the  feast  of  the  ingathering  of  the  delicious, 
ripe  fruit,  such  as  the  citron,  the  olive,  the  fig,  and  the  vine ; 
it  was  a  feast  of  grateful  thanksgiving.  But  the  main  char- 
acter this  feast  preserved  for  us  lies  in  its  historical  associa- 
tions and  reminiscences ;  for  it  commemorates  Israel's  trying 
period  spent  wandering  through  the  desert.  Like  Passover 
it  makes  the  Jew  forcibly  conscious  of  his  exceptional  position 
among  the  nations  of  earth,  he  alone  being  able  to  point  to 
such  a  Providentially-shaped  history,  such  phenomenal  events, 
such  manifest  protection  and  guidance  from  on  High.  In 
remembrance  of  that  hard  but  salutary  schooling  in  the  wil- 
derness, many  loyal  Jews  partly  dwell  seven  days  in  booths 
built  for  that  purpose,  the  booths  being  beautified  by  the 
leaves  of  the  palm-tree,  the  twig  of  the  myrtle,  the  willow  of 
the  brook,  and  the  most  fragrant  of  the  ingathered  fruit. 
God's  bounty  and  His  never-ebbing  grace  for  His  people  are 
to  be  illustrated  by  these  symbols.  Dwelling  under  the  open, 
starlit  Eastern  sky,  environed  with  the  bountiful  manifesta- 
tions of  Gracious  Providence,  and  looking  back  on  a  super- 
naturally  wrought  history,  the  ancient  Israelite  must  have  felt 
wonderfully  deep  and  spiritual ;  an  impression  which  became 
hereditary  and  is  shared  by  his  latest  descendants,  even  at 
this  day. 

Superior  to  all  our  other  spiritual  feasts  is,  however,  the 
sublime  season  of  ten  days  which  yearly  opens  with  our  New 
Year  or  Rosh  Hashanah  and  closes  with  the  Day  of  Atone- 
ment or  Yarn  Kippur.  Holy  Days  in  aim  and  nature  more 
sublime  it  is  impossible  to  imagine.  Keligious  history  fur- 
nishes no  example  of  such  a  divine  effort  to  triumph  over  the 
lower  proclivities  of  human  nature.  Man  is  imperatively 
called  upon  to  look  into  self,  scrutinize  his  inmost  being  with 


238 

the  eye  of  severe  impartiality,  review  his  past  life,  give 
thought  to  the  higher  ends  of  his  sublunar  existence ;  arraign 
self  before  self ;  break  the  shackles  that  chain  him  to  gross- 
ness  and  sensuality,  and,  on  the  wings  of  prayer  and  repent- 
ance, coupled  with  resolves  of  a  worthier  future,  rise  to  a 
realization  of  this  world's  vanity,  the  serious  aspects  of  this 
life,  the  justice  of  God,  the  beauty  of  virtue,  and  the  certainty 
of  Divine  Judgment.  .  Few  are  they  in  the  camp  of  Israel 
who,  at  the  approach  of  those  "  awful  days,"  are  not  aroused 
from  their  religious  lethargy,  not  stirred  to  an  endeavor  of 
rising  above  the  common  level  of  thought  and  feeling.  A 
spiritual  wave  seems  to  strike  every  Jewish  home,  fill  every 
Jewish  heart  except  such  as  are  utterly  lost  to  any  and  every 
sense  of  faith  and  reverence. 

During  this  season  virtue  in  all  manner  of  expression  cele- 
brates her  glorious  triumphs.  Charity  and  humility  are  the 
predominant  manifestations  of  penitence.  Long  before  dawn 
masses  throng  the  places  of  worship  and  prayerful  invocations 
are  wafted  heavenward.  The  Day  of  Memorial  and  the  Day 
of  Atonement  are  to  the  Jew  days  of  supreme  Judgment. 
He  feels  himself  in  the  Awful  Presence  of  the  Highest  Tri- 
bunal ;  feels  that  he  has  to  give  account  of  self ;  that  time  is 
fleeting,  the  grave  open,  and  the  record  waiting.  Between 
Israel  and  Jehovah  there  is  no  intermediary  influence,  he  being 
as  much  of  God  Himself  as  any  other  being  under  the  sun. 
He  obeys  the  Voice  of  the  Highest  Throne,  that  commands : 
"  Make  peace  with  self,  thy  fellow-man,  and  thy  God  !  "  He 
hears  the  message,  knows  that  he  stands  among  the  stars 
responsible  to  none  but  his  Author.  The  sovereignty  of  God 
is  contrasted  with  the  impotence  of  man,  and  history  is  briefly 
reviewed  to  impress  the  Jewish  mind  with  the  never-failing 
love  of  The  Only  One.  On  the  Day  of  Atonement  neither 
drink  nor  food,  nor  any  other  physical  indulgence,  is  allowed 
from  sunset  to  sunset.  An  extreme  effort  is  made  to  suppress 
the  low  instinct.  Passion  is  conquered.  Enemies  shake  hands 
and  make  peace.  Parents  rest  their  blessing  hand  on  the  head 
of  their  dear  ones,  and  the  tears  roll  profusely.  Peace  is  the 
motto,  the  look,  the  breath,  the  wish  of  every  good  Israelite. 


239 

It  is  a  perfect  self-consecration  of  humanity  to  the  Divinest 
Ideal ;  it  is  a  celestial  triumph  of  the  spirit  over  the  body,  the 
spiritual  over  the  material  in  man's  nature. 

The  Spiritual  Realities  of  Judaism,  Divine  in  their  simplic- 
ity, awful  in  ideal  majesty,  are  such  as  only  a  people  can 
realize  whose  law-giver's  sweetest  longing  was  to  see  God  face 
to  face.  Let  our  daughter  religions  parade  their  Christmas 
and  their  Ramazans.  The  spiritual  fountain-head  is  with  us, 
unebbing,  ever  flowing,  pure  as  the  azure's  deep,  brilliant  as 
the  Galaxy,  sweet,  fresh,  mighty,  heavenly;  fed  by  Him  Who 
feeds  the  solar  spheres.  Not  before  Israel's  sanity  is  diseased 
will  he  yield  to  a  faith  of  fancy,  founded  on  myth,  initiated 
with  blood,  enforced  with  fire  and  sword,  disgraced  by  human 
hatred,  and  polluted  by  corruption.  The  Jew's  Holy  of  Holies 
is  the  human  heart ;  his  temple  is  the  universe,  his  altar,  his 
home,  and  his  High  Priest  God  Himself.  As  civilization 
advances  the  humane  spirit  of  Judaism  gains  in  ascendency, 
while  orthodox  Christianity  is  losing  its  hold  and  is  slowly  but 
steadily  verging  toward  the  state  of  decay.  As  to  Moham- 
niedism,  it  is  fast  sinking  beneath  its  own  dead-weight.  Such 
is  the  fate  of  all  pretentious  imitations.  The  genuine  alone 
endures.  Not  thus  a  faith  rooted  in  God,  human  love,  stern 
justice,  and  a  longing  for  perfection.  How  could  such  an  ideal 
cease,  or  be  superseded,  there  being  nothing  truer  than  truth, 
nothing  diviner  than  perfection  ?  Therefore  is  Judaism  im- 
perishable and  Israel  invulnerable,  immortal.  There  is  some- 
thing awful  in  the  stirring  world-career  of  the  chosen  race. 
To  think  of  the  fact  that  the  language  in  which  the  angels 
spoke  to  Abraham,  and  in  which  Moses  proclaimed  the  Ten 
Commandments,  is  the  one  in  which  Jewish  weeklies  and 
dailies  and  a  vast  literature  are  published  at  this  hour !  A 
contemplation  like  this  in  connection  with  Israel's  past  and 
triumphs  tempts  one  to  exclaim,  with  Addison  : — 

"The  stars  shall  fade  away,  the  sun  himself 
Grow  dim  with  age,  and  nature  sink  in  years  ; 
But  thou  shalt  flourish  in  immortal  youth, 
Unhurt,  amid  the  war  of  elements, 
The  wreck  of  matter,  and  the  crush  of  worlds  !  " 


240 

Sweetest  of  dreams,  grandest  of  realities  !  To  be  the  throb- 
bing, immortal  heart  of  spiritual  humanity.  Thus  has,  after 
thousands  of  years,  the  patriarch's  and  the  prophet's  dream  been 
realized.  Jehovah  is  The  God  and  Israel  His  people.  Spirit 
of  truth,  bones  of  our  sacred  ancestry,  ashes  of  our  martyrs 
burned  in  slow  fires,  not  in  vain  did  ye  fight,  struggle,  suffer, 
and  triumph  over  death.  No  candle  is  lit  to  celebrate  the 
memory  of  Vespasian,  but  a  myriad  illuminations  tell  yearly 
of  the  deathless  Maccabees.  Scorning  the  Divine  Law,  is  it 
not  mocking  the  sun  ?  Rejecting  Horeb,  Carmel,  and  Zion,  is  it 
not  sublimating,  aye,  annihilating  Golgotha  and  Mecca  ?  The 
world -is  on  its  return  to  God  and  Sinai,  and  the  high  road  to 
salvation  runs  not  through  St.  Peter's  pompous  Cathedral,  but 
through  Ezra's  unpretentious  Synagogue.  The  Jew  never  for 
a  moment  admitted  that  either  earth  or  heaven  belonged  to 
the  Pope,  and  he  is  alive  to  see  paradise  restored  to  all  men. 
All,  they  have  all  done  their  utmost  to  degrade  and  defame 
the  Jew.  But  "  the  martyr  cannot  be  dishonored,"  thinks 
Emerson.  "  Every  lash  inflicted  is  a  tongue  of  fame ;  every 
prison  a  more  illustrious  abode  ;  every  burned  book  or  house 
enlightens  the  world ;  every  suppressed  or  expunged  word 
reverberates  through  the  earth  from  side  to  side.  Hours  of 
sanity  and  consideration  are  always  arriving  to  communities, 
as  to  individuals,  when  the  truth  is  seen  and  the  martyrs  are 
justified."  How  long  Israel  was  waiting  for  those  "  hours  of 
sanity  !  "  but  he  waited  not  in  vain. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

CONCLUSION. 

A  general  review  like  this  of  "  Jewish  Dreams  and  Reali- 
ties," as  the  last  lines  are  written,  involuntarily  raises  the 
question  whether  the  subject  has  been  fairly  treated,  that  is, 
whether  the  picture  has  not  been  overdrawn  in  favor  of  the 
main  question  and  its  kindred  topics,  which  are  inevitably  in- 
volved in  such  a  wide-reaching  discussion  ?  Conscience  is  ap- 
pealed to  and  doubt  arises  as  to  the  mental  capacity  of  one 
brain  of  a  certain  bent  of  mind  or  bias  of  thought  to  sum  up 
the  real  and  fictitious,  the  true  and  the  false,  in  a  maze  of 
creeds,  doctrines,  traditions,  legends,  visions,  feelings,  halluci- 
nations, inspirations,  deceptions,  misrepresentations,  and  fan- 
cies ;  and  to  constitute  one's  self  the  arbiter  in  awarding  the 
medal  of  merit  to  whomsoever  it  may  belong.  With  whom  is 
truth  \  At  the  age  of  eighty,  Whittier  answers  to  the  question 
of  an  Israelite,  "  I  don't  know  what  it  means  to  be  a  Jew,  but 
I  know  what  it  means  to  be  a  Christian  who  has  no  quarrel 
with  others  about  their  creeds,  and  can  love,  respect,  and  honor 
a  Jew  who  honestly  believes  in  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  and 
who  obeys  the  two  great  commandments,  '  Love  to  God  and 
Love  to  Man.' "  And  the  London  Times,  some  weeks  ago,  ed- 
itorially remarked,  "  The  Jews  are  suffered  readily  to  take  the 
high  position  to  which  their  intellect — perhaps  sharpened  by 
centuries  of  persecution — fits  them.  Their  period  of  proba- 
tion has  left  them  stronger  and  more  capable  than  ever,  as  the 
ranks  of  our  professions  show.  If  the  more  humble  members 
of  the  faith  have  taken  refuge,  like  hunted  creatures,  in  occu- 
pations repugnant  to  other  men,  and  have  developed  a  trium- 
phant facility  in  such  callings,  it  is  the  fault  not  of  the  race, 
but  of  its  persecutors."     Is  not  all  this  a  sign  of  the  times  \ 

(241) 


242 

Even  Catholic  Spain  openly  confesses  and  deplores  the  aberra- 
tions of  her  sires'  Christianity.  Imagination  is  aghast  at  the 
flood  of  evil  that  could  have  been  a  flood  of  good  had  the 
Church  but  in  a  limited  measure  complied  with  her  founder's 
nobler  teachings  of  human  love  and  mercy.  A  race  whose 
grateful  generosity  opens  Eden's  gate  for  Hiram,  and  looks  up 
to  Cyrus  as  a  Messiah,  could  not  but  honor  a  religion  like  that 
of  a  Macaulay,  a  Browning,  a  Beecher,  a  Whittier,  and  their 
like,  of  whom  there  is  no  paucity  in  this  age.  What  cordial 
fraternization  would  have  brought  about  in  unifying  the  race, 
it  is  much  easier  to  guess  than  to  tell.  Civilization  might  a 
thousand  years  ago  have  reached  its  present  stage,  and  our 
century  might  have  been  permitted  to  witness  what  a  mil- 
lennium hence  is  likely  to  see — a  race  united  in  love  and 
spiritual  affinity.  That  events  so  detrimentally  turned  against 
the  general  welfare  of  mankind,  and  that  the  Church  was  so 
conspicuously  instrumental  in  retarding  the  consummation  of 
that  very  ideal  she  claimed  to  represent,  justifies  her  being 
called  to  account  before  the  tribunal  of  history.  Philanthropy 
weeps  at  the  universal  evil  conjured  up  by  the  distortion  and 
abuse  of  the  divinest  of  gifts  laid  in  the  human  soul.  Relig- 
ion,  ethereal,  robed  in  light,  fragrance,  and  humility,  the 
wand  of  peace  and  grace  in  hand,  and  the  smile  of  ineffable 
bliss  in  the  eye,  the  gentlest  and  meekest  of  angels,  the  Church 
has  turned  into  the  fiercest,  the  blackest  of  devils,  spitting 
blood,  fire,  venom,  and  hatred  ;  a  demon  with  eyeballs  of  ter- 
ror, talons  of  iron,  ravenous,  bloodthirsty,  voracious,  greedy, 
and  of  tiger's  ferocity.  Love,  truth,  mercy,  salvation,  with 
that  Church  ?  If  you  whisper  such  blasphemous  falsehoods, 
Satan,  who  for  eighteen  centuries  has  been  rolling  in  fits  of 
hellish  laughter  at  this  idea,  may  yet  indulge  the  hope  of  turn- 
ing once  more  this  earth  into  an  insane  asylum.  Rather  let  us 
answer  the  question  :  With  whom  is  truth  ? 

With  whom  is  truth  ?  Reason  answers :  With  him  who  is 
in  search  thereof,  not  with  him  who  claims  her  exclusive  pos- 
session. The  wisest  of  Greece  doubted  his  wisdom,  and  this 
proves  him  to  have  been  the  wisest.  The  wisest  Hebrew  king 
exclaimed :  Who  knoweth  that  the  spirit  of  the  sons  of  man 


243 

ascendeth  skyward,  and  the  spirit  of  the  beast  descendeth 
downward?  "  Who  knows,  who  knows?  Such  is  the  burden 
of  Israel's  history,  his  thought,  such  the  retrain  of  his  grand 
epic  works.  He  lias  no  iron-clad  dogmas.  The  enemy  of 
growth  and  free  thought  is  the  immovable  dogma.  It  trans- 
forms the  living  banyan-tree  of  human  intellect  and  sentiment 
into  a  fossil;  it  petrifies  the  mind;  it  mummifies  nature,  em- 
balms the  universe,  lames  the  wing  of  imagination,  and  is  piti- 
ably alarmed  at  the  least  symptom  of  independent  life,  is  panic- 
stricken  at  the  sight  of  bud  or  blossom.  How  could  a  world 
made  for  life  ever  young  and  ever  green,  a  race  whose  prog- 
ress means  vitality  and  stagnation  decay,  make  peace  with  a 
power  who  enforces  its  two  commandments,  the  first  being: 
"  Thou  shalt  not  think,"  and  the  second :  "  Hate  him  who 
dares  to  think."  Are  not  these  substantially  the  conditions  of 
the  orthodox  cross  and  the  crescent  ?  "  What  the  Koran  con- 
tains not,  you  may  burn,"  says  Omar.  "Believe  my  infalli- 
bility, kiss  my  shoe,  or  you  shall  never  enter  paradise,"  says 
the  pope.  "  Either  trinity  or  eternal  perdition,"  says  Luther. 
"  Ungodly,  cruel  priests,"  says  the  Jew,  "  our  fathers  teach  that 
the  righteous  of  all  nations  leave  a  share  in  the  world  to  come" 
How  overlook  this  immense  distance  between  Jewish  univer- 
sality and  non-Jewish  partiality  ?  How  overlook  it  with  cen- 
turies of  telling  history  before  us  ?  Jesus  and  Mohammed 
exhaust  their  ingenuity  in  creating  abysmal  gulfs  of  blood- 
curdling horrors,  peopled  by  terrific  fiends,  whose  delight  is 
human  agony,  monsters  a  gracious  God  had  called  forth  to  tor- 
ment in  eternity  frail  human  beings,  and  Moses  is  criticised 
for  having  been  silent  as  to  the  beyond.  To  think  that  hun- 
dreds of  millions  are  still  living  and  dying  under  the  illusion 
of  that  abominable  doctrine ;  to  realize  the  anguish  of  the 
dying,  and  of  the  surviving,  who,  not  alone  lose  each  other 
torn  from  the  bosom  of  love,  but  have  a  foretaste  of  hell 
in  the  certain  expectation  of  the  dear  departing  ones  sinking 
into  the  claws  of  howling,  yelling,  lacerating  devils,  must  be 
sufficient  for  any  feeling  being  to  turn  away  with  a  shudder 
from  the  Church  and  the  Mosque.  Where  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  there  explicit  mention  of  a  hell  or  a  heaven  ?     Divine 


244 

retribution  is  alluded  to  and  nothing  else.  As  to  post-Biblical 
conceptions  we  have  already  quoted  Joseph  Albo,  who  rejects 
Gehinnom  as  being  nothing  else  than  an  allegory,  an  assertion 
no  one  ever  thought  of  gainsaying,  and  deriving  strong  support 
from  Pharisaic  lore  where — Nedarim  8 — it  is  positively  said : 
"  There  is  no  Gehinnom  in  the  world  beyond,  but,  drawn  forth 
from  the  body,  the  virtuous  soul  lives  in  the  blissful  memory 
of  the  good,  and  the  wicked  suffers  in  memory  of  the  evil  left 
behind." 

Had  we  nothing  else  to  say  in  glorification  of  our  ideal, 
would  not  that  universal  recognition  of  the  good  in  every  hu- 
man being,  regardless  of  race  and  creed,  and  the  philosophical 
aspect  of  Divine  retribution,  justify  the  Mother  Faith  in  her. 
claims  of  an  ethical  and  spiritual  superiority  over  her  immodest 
off-shoots  %  We  deal  not  in  windy  articulation  ;  we  challenge 
the  detractors  of  Israel  and  of  his  God  to  face  fact  with  fact, 
life  with  life,  history  with  history,  and  convince  us  why  we 
should  desert  Jehovah  for  Baal. 

Who,  in  his  senses,  could  for  one  moment  doubt  the  title  of 
all  men  to  earthly  happiness  and  to  heavenly  bliss — whatever 
tliis  be — provided  righteous,  dignified  manhood  keeps  them 
on  the  high  level  The  Almighty  assigned  to  the  noblest  of  His 
creatures  below.  Aryan,  Semite,  Mongol,  or  Negro,  humanity 
and  philanthropy  know  no  race  nor  creed  nor  color;  they  only 
distinguish  between  the  right  arid  the  wrong,  the  true  and 
the  false,  the  good  and  the  bad.  When  the  Egyptians  were 
drowned  in  the  Red  Sea  the  angels,  says  tradition,  rose  to 
sing  hymns  in  triumph  of  the  just  cause,  but  God  said  :  "  My 
creatures  are  in  distress,  and  you  want  to  sing!"  Sweet, 
philanthropic  Judaism  that  has  compassion  even  for  the  op- 
pressor, the  tyrannical  taskmaster.  Who  did  invent  Aryanism 
and  Semitism  as  watchwords  of  hostile  design  ?  That  hydra- 
headed  misanthropy  everybody  knows  was  engendered  and  is 
being  nursed  by  the  hate-breathing,  orthodox  priest. 

On  this  occasion  we  may  aptly  introduce  a  few  stanzas  from 
a  work  which  we  have  in  preparation,  wherein  Don  Isaac 
Abarbanel  pleads  the  cause  of  religious  liberty  before  Ferdi- 
nand and  Isabella  the  Catholics ;  it  is  a  Jewish  view : — 


245 

Man  worships  greatness  oven  in  his  foes, 

By  worship  lifted  genius  Godlike  grows  ; 

Mere  whim  divides  what  God  designed  to  be 

In  all  His  realms  harmonious  unity. 

Mankind  is  one,  one  like  that  Fountain-Head 

Whence  life  is  flowing,  whither  go  the  dead  ; 

One  soul  in  all,  oft  bursting  forth  in  beams 

Of  truth  eternal  from  ethereal  streams; 

Whoso  seeks  Truth  and  dings  to  her  with  love, 

In  him  is  virtue,  spirit  from  above  ; 

If  man  but  worship,  needless  to  agree, 

Or  force  conviction,  man  like  God  is  free  ; 

Free  as  the  bird,  who  free  his  carol  sings 

In  various  cadence  God's  sweet  mercy  rings  ; 

Free  as  the  cloud,  free  as  the  ocean's  vast, 

As  thunder  free,  free  as  the  lightning's  blast ; 

As  must  our  breath,  so  must  our  thought,  be  free, 

With  mind  in  chains  life  is  but  slavery. 

In  countless  ways  Almighty  works  His  ends, 

The  bud,  the  blossom  toward  mild  sunshine  bends, 

Free  homage  paying  to  that  radiant  sphere; 

He  worships  not,  who  worships  out  of  fear. 

The  freeborn  reverence  God,  why  rules  enforce 

On  mind  sky-driven  like  the  water's  course? 

Though  from  great  ocean  all  the  waters  spring 
Which  flood  the  earth  and  precious  blessings  bring, 
On  deep  azure  throw  high  that  gloriest  span 
Of  seven  hues  which  is  the  awe  of  man, 
Not  all,  ascending  the  cloud-vested  height, 
Descend  to  mirror  the  heaven's  stellar  light — 
In  streams  of  crystal,  lakes  of  skyey  blue, 
In  brook  or  river,  pearls  of  sparkling  dew ;    ■ 
But  some  are  winding  through  wild  sinuous  tracks, 
Some  bounding  forth  in  leaping  cataracts; 
Through  rock  and  crevice  some  burst  into  light, 
Some  well  in  tunnels,  some  in  dreary  night ; 
Some  spread  destruction  in  the  fertile  plain, 
Some  clear  return,  some  troubled,  to  the  main; 
And,  like  the  waters,  so  the  human  wave 
Around  this  world  does,  groping,  searching,  brave 
Mysterious  destiny  with  pall  and  grave, 
Instinct  with  faith,  that  spirit  pure  must  rise, 
As  things  ethereal,  to  the  rainbow'd  skies. 
With  reason  dawning,  feelings  undefined, 
Man  long  of  Edens  and  of  hells  divined; 
With  ardor  turned  to  the  orb  of  day, 


246 

The  river,  brute  adored,  or  gods  of  clay, 
Believed  his  idol  truest  of  the  rest, 
His  worship  truest  and  his  creed  the  best. 
A  freezing  horror  seizes  heart  and  mind 
When,  gazing  through  the  darker  times  behind, 
I  see  the  reeking  fumes  from  altars  rise 
Where  man  of  man  makes  horrid  sacrifice ; 
His  kin,  his  child  delivers  to  the  flames, 
Vile  incest  fosters,  or  his  body  maims, 
Convinced  his  fetich  of  immortal  bliss, 
Delights  in  foulness,  sacrifice  like  this ! 

Ah,  old  is  error,  old  the  quest  of  truth, 

As  old  as  longing  for  immortal  youth 

And  power  here  ;  not  undivine  our  greed 

To  win  dominion,  spread  a  cherish 'd  creed  ; 

For  life  hereafter — this  our  highest  goal — 

As  God  is  living,  deathless  is  our  soul ! 

To  live  forever  strove  immortal  Cid, 

Immortal  dreams  did  raise  the  pyramid, 

Oil,  bronze,  and  marble  quicken  to  the  breath 

Of  art  disputing  the  domain  of  death  ; 

Nay,  plant  and  beast,  each  species  it  appears, 

Obeying  nature,  sturdy  offsprings  rears 

Its  kind  unweaken'd  living  to  preserve  ; 

Why  manhood  thus  impeach  that  would  not  swerve 

From  sacred  lines  a  hundred  ages  trace  ? 

Can  filial  reverence  a  loyal  child  disgrace? 

Lou's  prophet  joins  the  teacher  of  Iran, 

The  Orient's  wisest  who  gave  light  to  man ; 

The  dreamer  of  Nirvana,  and  the  mage 

Of  Egypt's  wisdom,  how  far  from  the  sage 

Of  Greece,  and  Rome,  and  Bethlehem  are  they, 

Who  of  good  powers  and  of  evil  say, 

Alternate  ruling  as  frail  mortals  prove, 

Or  hateful  demons  or  high  priests  of  love  ? 

The  faith  of  love,  what  else  proclaimed  he, 

Your  worshiped  master,  what  our  prophecy  ? 

In  sight  of  him.  his  symbols  within  ken, 

Who  dreamt  of  peace  and  good-will  to  all  men ; 

Without  a  verse  of  Scripture,  old  or  new, 

Without  a  cause,  an  accusation  true, 

Without  a  tear  of  human  misericord, 

They  burn,  O  queen,  the  image  of  the  Lord! 

A  myriad  tortured,  burned  on  the  stake, 

Who  would,  impious,  not  with  sires  break, 

From  Sinai  bearing,  in  Jehovah's  Name, 


247 

The  grandest  message  mankind  to  reclaim! 

Sweet  charity  may  justice  help  to  stay 

The  cruel  rod  that  wounds,  too  weak  to  slay, 

A  people's  honor  tested  by  the  tears 

And  death-defiance  of  three  thousand  years. 

With  the  universalization  of  Judaism  by  Hebrew  Prophecy 
and  Jewish  philosophy,  the  question  is  no  more,  Who  is  the 
Jew  ?  but  Who  and  why  is  man  ?     What  a  question  !     How 
grave,  how  absorbing,  how  worthy  of  the  purest,  the  highest, 
and  the  deepest  thought!     Who  is  man  ?     A  mystery!     You 
see  before  you  a  being  whose  beginning  and  whose  end  are 
hidden  in  impenetrable  darkness  ;  and  what  a  being  he ! — free, 
noble,  great,  majestic,  perfect  in  form,  divine  in  appearance, 
unfathomable  in  quality,  with  inexpressible  wonders  written 
in  his  mien,  radiating  from  the  gulfs  of  the  eye ;  dwelling 
among  the  stars,  a  riddle  to  himself  yet  conscious  of  divinity. 
AVho  is  man  ?     Scripture  tells,  he  was  the  last  work  of  crea- 
tion, the  only  one  into  whom  God  has  breathed  His  Breath, 
thus  immortal.     Similar  are  the  conclusions  of  science,  which 
likewise  recognizes    in   him   the   master-work  of   the  Divine 
Author,  the  highest  being  known  to  biology,  but  one  whose 
construction,  bodily  and  mental,  is  as  mysterious  as  the  frame 
and  the  Spirit  of  the  star-built  universe.     As  old  and  thorough 
as  the   science  of  anatomy  claims  to  be,  she  is  amazed  at  the 
inextricably  entangled  piece  of  divine  mechanism  called  the 
human  body.     Anatomy  dissects  the  frame  of  man,  examines 
its  largest  and  minutest  parts,  muscles,  arteries,  tissues,  nerves, 
blood,  brain ;  she  counts  the  joints  of  the  skeleton,  analyzes, 
microscope  in  hand,  every  atom  of  solid  and  fluid  matter  ac- 
cessible to  her  gaze,  and,  when  all  is  done,  she  stands  baffled, 
admitting  her  very  limited  comprehension  of  those  phenomena 
of  life  which  she  is  most  anxious  to  know.     "  So  it  is,"  no 
more,  not  How  ?  nor  Why  %     The  heart,  an  inscrutable  won- 
der, drives  the  life  fluid  through  the  mazes  of  the  body,  feed- 
ing, like  a  mystic  stream,  the  remotest  and  tiniest  channels 
thereof.     Our  nervous  system,  like   a   net   of   gauze,  covers 
every  inch   of  the  human  form,   the   most  perfect  telegraph 
conceivable,  giving  warning  of  the  least  touch  the  province  it 


248 

covers  may  experience.  Ask  the  anatomist  where  it  begins 
and  where  it  ends.  "  I  do  not  know,"  is  his  answer.  He  as- 
sures you,  however,  that  brain  is  a  kind  of  gray  matter,  densely 
interwoven  with  an  extremely  fine  and  delicate  tissue,  affirm- 
ing it  without  hesitation  to  be  the  seat  of  mental  consciousness 
and  intellectual  energy,  as  well  as  the  central  organ  of  several 
other  functions,  meeting  all  sensory  appeals  of  the  complex 
human  organism.  This  is  all  science  knows  of  that  central 
seat  of  intellect,  sensation,  and  perception.  Yet,  brain  alone 
turned  this  wild  planet  into  an  Eden,  and  rules  over  it  with 
the  thunder  and  lightning  of  Olympian  supremacy.  So  little 
does  science  know  of  the  visible  man. 

But  there  is  the  invisible  man,  who  is  the  Godlike  being  in 
the  truest  sense.  It  is  the  moral,  intellectual,  and  the  spiritual 
man  of  whom  we  must  take  cognizance,  since  it  is  the  incor- 
poreal in  the  universe,  as  well  as  in  humanity,  which  con- 
cerns us  most,  those  undefined  qualities  which,  in  transcen- 
dental excellence,  are  the  attributes  of  The  Supreme,  and,  in 
an  infinitely  lesser  and  baser  degree,  make  up  that  supernal 
power  called  the  image  of  God,  or  the  soul.  Psychology  is 
the  science  devoted  to  a  study  of  those  qualities  in  man  to 
which  we  can  no  more  than  refer  in  passing.  Our  mind  has 
the  faculty  of  conceiving,  perceiving,  and  retaining  things  for 
an  indefinite  time  in  the  magic  chambers  of  memory.  Things 
seen  in  earliest  infancy — creatures,  cities,  rivers,  landscapes, 
oceans,  the  stars  in  the  vast  firmament — are  faithfully  photo- 
graphed and  vividly  retained  in  the  boundless  galleries  of  the 
mind.  Memory  is  vaster  and  deeper  than  all  the  oceans  com- 
bined, for  it  can  receive,  retain,  and  reflect  more  than  all  the 
deeps  on  earth,  and  is  only  excelled  by  the  seraphic  virtue 
called  imagination.  Memory  is  the  storehouse  of  all  those 
things  we  have  ourselves  seen  ;  imagination  enables  us  to  see 
things  others  have  seen,  or  to  conceive  things  no  soul  has  ever 
seen.  We  hear  the  explorer  of  the  North  Pole  tell  of  the 
regions  he  has  dwelt  in ;  our  imagination  takes  hold  of  the 
given  picture,  and  there  it  is.  The  prophet  tells  of  a  celestial 
vision  he  had  at  night ;  imagination  receives  his  impression 
and  retains  it  for  aye.     The  poet  soars  on  imagination's  airy 


249 

wing  to  unmeasured  heights,  to  unfathomed  deeps ;  we  follow 
him,  carried  aloft  by  the  like  faculty,  no  barrier,  no  distance 
being  able  to  check  its  sweeping  flight.  Wedded  to  thought, 
memory  and  imagination  lift  humanity  to  a  degree  in  the  scale 
of  being  beyond  which  demi-gods  may  scarcely  rise.  Thought 
is,  however,  the  pillar  of  light  by  which  humanity  will  be  led 
to  salvation.  The  thinking  man  is  the  freest,  happiest,  and 
mightiest  of  mortals.  Barbarism,  infidelity,  irreverence,  vice, 
and  sensuality  are  the  absence  of  noble  thought.  Thought  is 
the  power  of  powers,  the  gateway  to  truth  and  glory ;  thought 
is  an  attribute  of  God  Himself,  an  offspring  of  Eternal  Wis- 
dom. 

This  is  the  reason  why  Jewish  philosophy  sees  in  Wisdom 
the  supremest  emanation  from  the  Unsearchable  God ;  the 
effluence  which  antedates  primordial  matter  ;  the  fiat  which 
made  infinity  teem  with  solar  systems.  The  contemplation  of 
that  Supreme  Wisdom  flowing  from  the  Supremest  God  is  the 
object  of  spiritual  Judaism,  an  object  not  to  be  attained  with- 
out perfect  freedom  of  thought.  God's  Wisdom  was  the  dream 
and  reality  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  ;  it  was  the  vision  and 
inspiration  of  the  prophetic  Israelite ;  and  is  the  sacred  med- 
itation of  the  modern  philosophic  Jew.  Not  to  think  im- 
plies for  the  Jew  a  break  in  the  chain  that  links  him  to  his 
Maker;  to  think  means  to  the  orthodox  Christian  to  endanger 
the  only  pillar  of  the  Church,  which  is  blind  faith.  Obedience  ! 
cries  the  Church.  Principle !  answers  the  Synagogue.  Israel's 
time-hallowed  and  God-sanctioned  privilege  is  the  use  of  his 
reason  and  the  belief  in  his  free  intuition.  "  Thou  shalt  know  " 
is  the  leading  injunction  in  our  Law.  First  knowledge,  then 
faith  ;  for  "  the  ignorant "  we  have  seen  "  cannot  be  truly 
religious."  Therefore,  the  Jewish  thirst  for  knowledge,  the 
Jewish  longing  for  wisdom,  which  Holy  Writ,  tradition,  and 
philosophy  combine  in  extolling  above  all  things.  "God 
grants  wisdom  to  none  except  the  wise."  61  Nor  is  Divine 
inspiration — the  Shekinah — accessible  to  any  but  the  most  en- 
lightened.    Wisdom  is  put  above  prophecy.     At  the  bottom 


.noDn  n  ww  'n1?  xbx  mon  fnu  n"ap  p*" 


250 

of  true  prophecy  there  is,  in  fact,  more  sound  judgment,  in- 
sight, and  foresight,  than  divination  or  supernatural  inspira- 
tion. The  prophet  was  a  wise,  inspired  Israelite  who,  having 
carefully  surveyed  present  conditions,  did  not  hesitate  to  fore- 
tell what  was  most  likely  to  follow.  Transported  with  the 
glow  of  spiritual  realities,  the  ardor  of  a  soul-thrilling  rever- 
ence, the  Hebrew  seer,  awake  or  asleep,  saw  God  everywhere, 
and  his  poetically-robed  visions  assumed  the  glorious,  transcen- 
dental expression  of  what  is  denominated  the  "  Divine  afflatus." 
His  dreams  were  to  him  realities  ;  his  realities  came  in  the 
dreamy  sights  of  an  etherealized  wisdom.  The  prophet  was  a 
thinker  of  ideal  and  spiritual  dreams,  a  progressive  man,  who 
studied  the  signs  of  the  times  and  the  needs  of  the  age  un- 
bound by  any  set  dogma  save  those  ethical  precepts  which  are 
indissolubly  wedded  to  pure  Monotheism.  A  dogmatic  the- 
ology could  thus  never  take  root  in  Israel,  since  such  a  system 
necessarily  precludes  free  thought  and  progress,  doubt  and 
search  for  truth,  which,  with  God  as  the  Reality  of  realities, 
are  the  secret  of  Israel's  vitality. 

Our  "  Dreams  and  Realities  "  would  close  here  had  we  not, 
as  a  tribute  to  candor,  to  put  on  record  another  kind  of  reality 
which,  melancholy  as  it  appears,  is  by  no  means  unprecedented 
in  the  annals  of  the  Lord's  "  firstborn. "  So  gloomy,  indeed, 
seems  at  this  hour  the  spiritual  aspect  and  prospect  of  matters 
Jewish  that  many  a  champion  and  well-wisher  of  our  dearest 
cause  despairs  of  another  rejuvenation.  Liberty,  it  is  said,  had 
accomplished  what  oppression  tried  in  vain — it  sensualized  the 
modern  Jew.  Whatever  moves  in  the  camp  of  Israel  moves 
not  by  a  vital  energy  from  within,  but  by  the  momentum  im- 
parted to  it  long  ago  from  without.  What  but  a  decade  ago 
would  have  been  condemned  by  any  and  every  Jewish  congre- 
gation as  a  desecration  of  sacred  ground,  aye,  as  blasphemous 
defiance  hurled  to  the  face  of  a  glorious  ancestry  and  the  most 
essential  principles  of  the  Divine  Law,  is  now  looked  upon  as 
a  matter  of  course,  necessitated,  it  is  maintained,  by  "  the  spirit 
of  the  times  ;  "  a  pliable,  elastic  phrase  just  now  stretched  to  its 
uttermost.  Every  transgression  is  extenuated  by  the  lame 
apology  that  it  was  due  to  the  spirit  of  the  age.     Applied  to 


251 

60cial  and  political  changes  this  phrase  has  some  sense ;  ap- 
plied to  matters  moral  and  spiritual  it  is  the  sheerest  nonsense. 
The  stealing  of  horses  and  the  ill-treatment  of  parents  could 
as  easily  be  justified  by  "the  spirit  of  the  times"  as  the  break- 
ing of  the  Sabbath,  or  the  thievish  defalcations  and  failures, 
all  of  which  are  equally  forbidden  by  the  Divine  Law.  The 
times  did  never  corrupt  man  ;  it  is  man  who  ever  corrupts  the 
times  ;  and  the  Jew  has  no  more  ground  to  make  the  times  re- 
sponsible for  his  religious  laxity  or  infidelity  than  the  drunk- 
ard to  make  the  liquor  answer  for  his  intoxication. 

It  were  superfluous  to  repeat  here  what  has  been  elsewhere 
so  thoroughly  ventilated  ;  but  the  remark  has  to  be  made  that 
the  lukewarmness,  the  indifferentism,  and  defiant  attitude  the 
Synagogue  has  of  late  to  encounter  cannot  truly  be  imputed  to 
superabundance  of  scholarship  in  the  pulpit  or  to  deep,  intellect- 
ual culture  in  the  pew.  Just  the  opposite  of  this  view  comes 
nearest  truth.  Even  a  limited  knowledge  of  Jewish  philoso- 
phy and  the  methods  it  adopts  in  interpreting  Scriptures  and 
miracles  would  cause  many  of  our  young  mock-rabbis — a  set 
of  sensational  Hotspurs — to  stop  the  ludicrous  spectacles  of 
passing  from  the  "  feast  of  fools  "  to  the  "  feast  of  asses." 
How  ineffably  conceited  and  utterly  unworthy  of  his  sacred 
calling  that  young  rabbi  must  appear  who  scorns  irreverently 
what,  centuries  ago,  men  like  Maimonides,  Ibn  Adereth,  Saadia, 
and  Albo  allegorized.  Never  was  there  denser  ignorance  pre- 
vailing among  certain  groups  of  Jews  on  Jewish  matters  than 
at  this  age,  in  this  land  ;  and  one  can  hardly  wonder  that  in- 
significant, aye,  unprincipled,  men,  such  as  would  but  a  few 
decades  ago  not  have  dared  to  open  their  lips  in  face  of  a  He- 
brew scholar  lest  they  be  caused  to  blush  with  shame,  are  now 
the  popular  idols  of  certain  miscalled  "  reformed  Jews." 

Such  excrescences  spring  not  from  a  healthy  system.  The 
products  of  the  swamp  betray  the  nature  of  the  soil.  For,  in- 
stead of  seeking  wisdom  before  the  Ark  of  the  Lord,  a  consid- 
erable number  of  our  degenerate  brethren  in  this  hemisphere 
are  thirsting  for  novelty  and  sensation.  They  want  a  religion 
to  suit  "convenience,"  a  lecturer  who  knows  how  to  please, 
and  the  rotten  market  is  there  to  supply  the  demand.     This  is 


252 

a  sorry  reality  we  reluctantly  notice.  There  is,  however,  the 
consolation  that  such  backslidings  have  always  been  endemic 
and  spasmodic,  never  epidemic  and  permanent,  in  the  widely 
scattered  Jewish  community.  Dispersed  among  the  nations,  it 
is  the  fate  of  Israel  to  be  more  or  less  affected  by  every 
change,  progressive  or  retrogressive,  healthy  or  otherwise,  the 
great  world  in  its  march  towards  the  highest  goal  often  under- 
goes. But  Israel's  ailments  are  local  and  transitory.  Mistak- 
ing fire-flies  for  stars,  and  demons  for  seraphim,  the  Jew  "  time 
and  oft "  strayed  into  quagmires,  but,  happily,  as  often  retraced 
his  steps  to  healthier  regions,  resuming  his  innate  moral  and 
spiritual  vigor  and  elasticity ;  undeceived,  made  wiser  by  loss, 
better  by  trials,  ideal  by  enlightenment,  Jewish  by  faith  and 
reverence. 


APPENDIX. 


TALMUDIC  MYTHOLOGY. 


ALLEGORICAL  TALES. 


TALMUDIC    MYTHOLOGY. 


TO  THE  READER. 

The  following  allegories,  drawn  from  the  Talmud,  will 
repay  perusal,  even  in  their  prosaic  garb,  as  they  have  been 
beautifully  reproduced  in  the  excellent  but  long-defunct  He- 
brew Preview.  The  attempt  to  improve  them  by  rhythm  and 
rhyme  did  not  appear  successful  enough  to  reward  the  work  it 
implies.  Thus,  having  refashioned  two  of  these  charming 
allegories,  without  apparently  enhancing  their  intrinsic  poeti- 
cal beauty,  we  concluded  to  gfve  them  as  we  found  them,  but 
slightly  modified  here  and  there. 

These,  together  with  the  several  Pharisaic  allegories  given 
in  the  second  and  sixth  chapters  of  this  work,  though  culled 
from  a  maze  of  allegorical  beauties,  will,  it  is  thought,  suffi- 
ciently convince  the  reader  that  Judaism  can  boast  of  a  my- 
thology second  to  none  and  superior  to  all  on  record.  They 
are  spiritual  "  Dreams  and  Realities  "  as  deep,  as  clear,  and  as 
mysterious  as  heaven's  unfathomed  blue,  telling  of  the  heart's 
unappeased  thirst,  the  soul's  yearning  after  light,  knowledge, 
truth,  God;  as  old  as  man's  deeper  sorrow,  and  the  obscurity 
which  darkens  his  sight. 

Born  a  priest,  a  prophet,  a  poet,  a  thinker,  and  a  worshiper 
of  the  Most  High,  the  responsive,  true  scion  of  Israel  feels 
too  deep,  and  sees  too  far  to  exchange  earthly  tinsel  fur  su- 
pernal glories.  Therefore  his  unequaled  martyrdom  of  nine- 
teen centuries,  his  readiness  to  wear  the  yellow  badge  of  an 
undeserved  disgrace,  to  lay  his  head  on  the  block,  his  body  on 
the  burning  pyre  rather  than  forfeit  his  distinction,  the  lofty 
station  Providence  assigned  him  in  this  world  as  the  bearer 
of  Jehovah's  banner,  and  the  invincible  champion  of  God's 
Unity  and  man's  universal  brotherhood. 

(255) 


MYTHS   OF  THE  TALMUD. 


THE  SUN  AND  THE  MOON. 


"  Two  lights  shall  shine  ! "  the  fiat  from  on  High, 
Through  darkness  roars, "two  lights  shall  grace  the  sky, 
And  grace  the  earth  with  radiance  mild  and  bright* 
One  orb  the  day  shall  rule,  the  other  night !  " 
Of  light  and  flame  a  blaze  the  Orient  wakes, 
A  sphere  of  splendor  to  the  westward  breaks, 
Earth  teems  with  life,  joy  ruleth  far  and  wide, 
The  Sun  as  bridegroom  shines,  the  Moon  as  bride ; 
And  nature's  garb  is  leafage,  herb,  and  flower, 
Each  mead  an  Eden  seems,  each  grove  a  bower, 
AVhile  gentle  breezes  fragrance  spread  abroad, 
And  myriad  voices  praise  the  gracious  God. 

II. 

But  as  in  glory  robed  the  Sun  doth  rise, 

His  golden  oceans  flooding  earth  and  skies, 

The  lesser  orb,  unable  to  control 

The  canker  Envy,  gnawing  at  her  soul, 

Loud  sorrow  utters  with  an  envious  breath, 

And  speaking  thusly,  withers  pale  as  death  : 

"  Or  I  or  He  should  hold  ethereal  sway, 

One  might  should  rule ;  who  would  two  lords  obey  ? 

Myself  can  brighten  with  my  mellow  beam 

Yon  globe  beneath,  illumine  sea  and  stream, 

Instead  of  blushing  at  his  whelming  might ; 

The  first  not  I  within  the  realms  of  light." 

III. 

These  words  no  sooner  ether  struck  and  air 
Than  paling  deeper,  fading  in  despair, 
The  Moon  hung  dark,  her  mellow  lustre  fled  ; 
Twelve  myriad  stars  rose  shining  in  her  stead ; 

(257) 


258 

"  Have  mercy,  Lord  !  "  she  cried ;  it  was  too  late, 

God's  judging  angel  sped  from  heaven's  gate, 

And  lighting  softly  on  the  darkened  moon, 

Irrevocable  judgment  uttered  soon. 

"  Unhappy  star,  so  late  with  light  aglow, 

Now  dark  as  night,  in  tears  which  welling  flow ; 

Hear,  envious  Moon,  how  great,  how  gracious  He, 

Who,  punishing,  doth  temper  His  decree. 

IV. 

"  Thyself  henceforward  shalt  for  light  depend 
On  yonder  orb,  that  will  his  radiance  send 
To  lighten  thee  with  splendors  dazzling  far, 
Through  borrowed  light  thou  shalt  yet  shine  a  star 
The  queen  of  night,  of  peace,  and  balm  of  sleep 
For  such  as  toil  and  such  as  long  and  weep, 
And  such  as  love  and  such  as  hopes  deceive 
Beneath  thy  rule  shall  soothing  dreams  relieve. 
God's  mercy  granted  this,  Who  saw  thy  tears, 
The  Sun  be  king,  thou  queen,  of  all  the  spheres  ; 
Beware  of  Envy  though,  this  temptress  fell 
Did  mighty  angels  from  the  sky  expel." 

Y. 

A  silver  sea,  as  off  the  angel  fled, 
The  generous  Sun  upon  the  Moon  did  shed, 
Who  penitent  and  pale  her  course  doth  roll, 
Since  weeping  nightly,  though  devoid  of  dole ; 
Herself  forgetting  when  she  sees  below 
Man's  mortal  pains,  his  aggregate  of  woe, 
She  feels  compassion  and  she  mourns  with  him, 
Poor  child  of  dust,  whose  destiny  is  dim. 
Thus,  when  the  day  descendeth  in  the  west, 
The  Moon  brings  healing  balsam  for  the  breast, 
And  pain  is  drowned  in  the  peace  of  rest, 
Since  what  by  day  doth  often  hopeless  seem, 
Illusion  grants  it  in  the  realms  of  dream. 


259 
MERCY'S  CHILD. 

"A  glorious  world,  a  star  of  light  and  shade, 
A  seat  of  joy,  the  last  world  We  have  made," 
The  Lord  exclaimed,  "  but  not  for  beasts  alone 
Were  gifts  unnumbered  thus  bestowed  upon 
That  master-work  of  Our  inscrutable  plan, 
The  world  is  there  and  now  create  We  man." 

"  Create  not  man,"  a  seraph  bows  in  awe ; 
He  Justice  mirrors,  guardian  of  the  Law ; 
"  Let  him  not  be  who  will  Thy  Law  disdain, 
Will  knowledge  have  and  free-will  all  in  vain  ; 
Will  wrong  the  weak,  oppress  his  helpless  kin, 
Through  theft  and  treason  will  his  triumphs  wii 

"  Why  man  create,"  a  meeker  cherub  spoke, 
"  Who  war  and  hatred  will  beneath  provoke, 
Will  rouse  Thy  wrath  to  drown  him  in  a  flood, 
And  stain  that  planet  with  his  brother's  blood  ? 
Create  him  not,  who  will  his  kindred  bleed, 
Create  him  not,"  the  angel,  Peace,  did  plead. 

Then  Truth  majestic  made  thus  her  appeal : 
"  Foreknowledge  tells  me  man  will  falsely  deal 
With  me,  Thy  oldest  daughter  of  the  skies, 
Will  yield  to  falsehood,  foster  hateful  lies ; 
Make  him  not,  Father ;  hear  my  ardent  plea, 
Thou  God  of  Truth,  Who  hates  hypocrisy." 

Angelic  ministers,  as  Truth  doth  end, 
Before  the  Lord  in  blazing  legions  bend  ; 
Then,  as  a  mighty  wave,  do  roar  and  rise, 
While  Echo  answers  from  the  lofty  skies  : 
"  Create  not  man  to  live  and  die  in  pain, 
Give  him  no  star  with  guilt  and  blood  to  stain." 

Compassion  breathing,  weeping  angel's  tears, 
The  gentlest  figure  of  the  heavenly  spheres, 
Sweet  Mercy,  she  the  youngest  child  of  God, 
Craves  leave  to  speak ;  this  granted  by  a  nod, 


260 

Her  words  fall  softly  as  the  silver  beam 

The  placid  moon  throws  on  the  placid  stream. 

"  Create  him,  Father  ;  let  man  rise  to  life ; 

Endow  him  richly  for  his  destined  strife  ; 

Of  yonder  orb  make  him  sole  ruling  king ; 

Let  from  his  weakness  strength  and  virtue  spring  ; 

And  should  all  guardian  angels  from  him  flee, 

Myself,  Thy  Grace,  will  bear  him  company  ; 

"  Will  cleanse  his  heart,  should  him  Temptation  lure, 
And  have  liim  share  the  sorrows  of  the  poor, 
Sustain  the  widow,  dry  the  orphan's  tear ; 
And  help  the  helpless  all  their  burdens  bear  ; 
Thus,  chasten'd,  rising  by  endeavors  mild, 
Thy  image  gracing,  he  sweet  Mercy's  child." 

"  Thy  plea  be  granted,"  said  the  Lord  of  Grace  ; 

"  It  is  ordained  that  the  mortal  race, 

In  spirit  mighty,  though  in  nature  frail, 

Against  all  evil  shall  in  time  prevail, 

And,  having  earth,  shall  once  the  skies  invade, 

Since  Mercy  pleads  for  him — let  man  be  made  !  " 

The  angels  hear  it  and  submissive  bow, 
Celestial  harmonies  to  earthward  flow, 
Delicious  fragrance  spreads  throughout  the  skies, 
Life's  angel  breathes  and  the  oceans  rise, 
All  nature  quickens,  yielding  up  her  best 
To  make  man  rise,  of  earth  the  holiest. 


THE  INFANCY  OF  ABRAHAM. 

Abraham  was  reared  in  a  cavern,  for  the  tyrant  Nimrod, 
forewarned  by  his  astrologers  that  the  infant  son  of  Terah 
would  teach  mankind  to  renounce  the  worship  of  idols,  sought 
to  take  his  life.  But  in  the  darksome  cave  the  light  of  God 
illumined  his  youthful  mind.  He  reflected,  and  asked  him- 
self, "  Whence  am  I  ?     Who  has  created  me  ?  " 


261 

He  lias  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  when  he  left  his 
dreary  abode,  and  for  the  first  time  beheld  the  heavens  and 
their  resplendent  orbs,  the  earth  and  its  fullness.  How  aston- 
ished was  he,  and  how  rejoiced  !  He  interrogated  all  creation 
around  him :  "  Whence  are  ye  ?     Who  has  created  you  ?  " 

The  sun  arose  in  his  glory.  Abraham  prostrated  himself. 
"  This  must  be  the  Creator  !  "  exclaimed  he.  "  Great  and 
beauteous  is  his  appearance  ;  his  radiance  dazzles  my  feeble 
eye."  The  sun  pursued  his  course,  and  set  at  eventide  to  make 
room  for  the  silvery  moon ;  and  Abraham  said  to  himself : 
"  The  luminary  which  has  set  cannot  be  the  God  of  heaven ; 
it  yields  to  yonder  lesser  light,  and  to  the  hosts  of  stars  by 
which  it  is  attended."  But  clouds  overspread  the  sky,  and 
moon  and  stars  were  soon  hidden  from  his  sight,  and  Abraham 
stood  alone  in  the  midst  of  his  meditation. 

He  went  to  his  father  and  asked  :  "  Who  is  God,  the  Creator 
of  heaven  and  earth  ?  "  Terah  showed  him  his  idols.  "  I 
will  put  their  divinity  to  test,"  said  he  to  himself,  and,  when 
he  was  alone,  he  presented  them  with  the  choicest  viands,  ad- 
dressed them,  and  said  :  "  If  ye  are  living  Gods  accept  my 
offering,  that  I  may  worship  you."  But  immovable  stood  the 
idols  ;  no  ear  had  they  for  his  invocation.  "  And  these,"  ex- 
claimed the  youth,  "  my  father  considers  his  Gods.  But 
perhaps  I  may  show  him  he  is  in  error."  He  took  a  staff  and 
shivered  the  idols  into  fragments,  except  one  within  whose 
bended  arm  he  placed  his  staff.  He  then  hurried  to  his  father, 
and  said :  "  Father,  thy  great  god  has  slain  his  lesser  brethren." 

But  Terah  looked  at  him  in  anger  and  said :  "  Mock  me  not, 
boy  !  How  can  he  do  what  thou  hast  said,  since  my  own  hand 
fashioned  him,  who  is  inanimate  'i  "  And  Abraham  replied : 
"  Be  not  angry,  O  my  father,  but  let  thine  ear  hear  and  thy 
reason  weigh  what  thine  own  mouth  has  uttered.  If  thou 
deemest  him  incapable  of  a  feat  which  my  boyish  hand  was 
capable  of  performing,  how  can  he  be  the  God  Whose  power 
created  thee  and  me,  heaven,  and  earth  ? " 

Terah  stood  silent  before  the  reproof  of  his  son  ;  but  the 
fame  of  Abraham  and  the  audacity  of  his  deed  soon  reached 
the  ear  of  the  tyrant  ISimrod,  who  summoned  the  youth  before 


262 

him,  and  thus  sternly  spoke :  "  My  god  thou  must  serve,  or 
the  burning  furnace  awaits  thee  !  " 

"  And  who,  O  king,  is  thy  god  ? "  inquired  the  undaunted 
Abraham. 

"  The  fire  is  my  god,  the  mightiest  of  all  beings,"  answered 
the  king. 

"  Fire,"  replied  the  youth,  "  is  quenched  by  Water :  Water  is 
borne  by  the  clouds :  The  clouds  are  scattered  by  the  wind,  but 
man  defies  the  pelting  of  the  storm  and  the  blast  of  the  wind : 
Thus  man  is  the  mightiest  of  beings." 

"  And  I  am  the  mightiest  of  men,"  said  the  king ;  "  adore 
me,  then,  or  the  fiery,  burning  furnace  awaits  thee." 

But  Abraham  fixed  his  illumined  eye  on  the  king,  and  said : 
"  Yesterday  at  morn  I  beheld  the  sun  arise,  and  I  saw  him  set 
in  the  evening.  Command  now,  O  king,  that  the  sun  arise  at 
eventide  and  set  in  the  morning,  then  will  I  worship  thee." 

The  king  deigned  no  further  reply,  but,  at  a  sign  from  him, 
the  youth  was  led  off  and  hurled  into  the  midst  of  the  fiery 
furnace.  But  the  rage  of  the  fire  harmed  not  the  dauntless 
martyr.  An  angel  of  the  Lord  received  him  in  his  arms,  and 
fanned  the  flames  away  from  him.  They  refreshed  him  like 
the  fragrance  of  roses.  Beauteous  and  radiant  the  youth  went 
forth  from  the  furnace,  and  soon  God  appeared  to  him  and  or- 
dered him  to  forsake  Chaldea  for  the  land  He  would  show  him. 

So  did  Abraham  become  the  founder  of  the  true  worship  of 
the  Only  God,  Who  created  heaven  and  earth,  for  all  the  human 
beings  who  inhabit  the  terrestrial  globe. 


THE  POWER  OF   TEAES. 

For  three  days  Isaac  was  dead  in  the  heart  of  Abraham,  for 
God  had  chosen  him  as  a  burnt-offering,  and  the  father  refused 
not  obedience.  Silently  Abraham  ascended  the  steep  height 
of  Moriah,  lost  in  painful  reflection,  when  the  friendly  voice 
of  his  child  aroused  him.  "Behold,  my  father,  we  have  fire 
and  wood,  but  where  is  the  lamb  for  the  burnt-offering?" 
And  Abraham  replied  :  "  My  son,  God  will  provide  Himself  a 
lamb  for  a  burnt-offering." 


263 

Onward  they  wound  their  way  in  silence,  and  they  came  to 
the  place  of  which  God  had  told  Abraham.  Here  he  built  an 
altar,  laid  the  wood  in  order,  bound  Isaac,  his  son,  and  laid 
him  on  the  altar  upon  the  wood. 

And  Abraham  stretched  forth  his  hand  and  took  the  knife 
to  slay  his  son,  and  he  cast  one  look  of  anguish  up  to  heaven, 
for  the  boy  lay  mute  upon  the  altar.  He  neither  complained 
nor  remonstrated,  but  he  silently  turned  his  streaming  eyes  to 
heaven.  The  silent  tear  that  glistened  in  the  eyes  of  both 
moved  the  sky ;  its  mute  appeal  ascended  to  the  heavens  and 
pleaded  before  the  mercy-seat  of  Him  before  Whom  silence  is 
equal  to  eloquence. 

And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  called  unto  him  out  of  heaven 
and  said,  "  Abraham,  Abraham  !  "  "  Here  I  am !  "  replied  the 
patriarch.  "  Lay  not  thy  hand  upon  the  lad,  neither  do  thou 
anything  unto  him."  Joyfully  the  father  received  the  destined 
victim,  the  son  who  was  restored  unto  him,  and  he  called"  the 
scene  of  his  anguish  and  joy,  "  The  Lord  seeth."  He  sees  the 
silent  tear  in  the  eye  of  the  sufferer.  He  sees  the  mute  an- 
guish of  the  heart,  which  implores  more  fervently  than  the 
loudest  appeal.     *     *     * 

Threefold  are  the  prayers  of  man  to  God,  and  their  efficacy 
is  also  ascending  in  its  degrees.  The  quiet  petition  of  the 
heart  is  acceptable  to  the  All-Merciful.  He  hears  and  gra- 
ciously receives  it  from  the  moving  lip.  The  loud  cry  of  dis- 
tress in  the  hour  of  need  pierces  the  sky,  and  heaps  burning 
coal  on  the  head  of  the  oppressor.  But  more  mighty  than 
these  is  the  mute  prayer  of  the  sufferer,  who  steadfastly  cleaves 
to  his  God,  even  in  the  hour  of  death.  It  forces  the  gates  of 
heaven,  breaks  locks  and  bolts,  appears  before  the  throne  of 
Mercy,  and  calls  down  the  look  of  Him  Who  ever  "  seeth." 


THE  DEATH  OF  MOSES. 

When  Moses,  the  faithful  messenger  of  God,  was  to  die,  and 
his  hour  approached,  the  Lord  assembled  His  angels  and  said : 
"It  is  time  to  recall  the  soul  of  my  servant;  who  among  you 
will  go  and  summon  her  to  come  into  My  Presence?"     At 


264 

this  the  princes  of  the  angelic  hosts,  Michael  and  Gabriel,  with 
all  who  stand  before  the  throne  of  the  Lord,  imploring,  said : 
"  We  are  his ;  he  has  been  our  teacher ;  thus  let  not  us  sum- 
mon the  soul  of  this  man."  But  Samael,  the  leader  of  the 
rebellious  angels,  stood  forth  and  said,  "  Behold !  here  I  am ; 
send  me."     And  he  went. 

Arrayed  in  wrath  and  cruelty  he  descended,  wielding  the 
flaming  sword  in  the  right  hand.  He  rejoiced  beforehand  at 
the  agony,  the  death-throe  of  the  righteous.  But  when  he 
came  nearer  Moses,  he  found  that  his  eyes  icere  not  dim,  nor 
his  natural  force  abated.  The  servant  of  the  Lord  wrote  the 
words  of  his  last  song  and  the  Sacred  Name.  His  counte- 
nance was  resplendent,  radiant  with  the  peace  and  brightness 
of  heaven.  Samael  stood  abashed ;  his  sword  dropped  out  of 
his  hand,  and  he  hurried  away.  "  I  cannot  bring  the  soul  of 
this  man,"  he  said  to  the  Lord;  "for  in  him  I  have  found 
nothing  impure." 

And  the  Lord  descended  to  summon  the  soul  of  His  faith- 
ful and  beloved  servant.  Michael  and  Gabriel  and  all  the 
attending  angels  followed  in  His  train.  They  prepared  the 
bier  of  Moses  and  surrounded  it,  and  a  voice  was  heard: 
"  Fear  not ;  I  Myself  will  bury  thee." 

Then  Moses  prepared  himself  to  die,  and  sanctified  himself 
even  as  one  of  the  seraphim.  And  the  Lord  called  unto  his 
soul  and  said :  "  My  daughter !  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  is 
the  term  allotted  for  thy  inhabiting  my  servant's  earthly  tene- 
ment.    The  time  is  expired ;  then  come  forth  and  tarry  not." 

And  the  soul  of  Moses  answered,  saying :  "  O  Lord  of  the 
universe  !  1  know  that  Thou  art  God,  the  sovereign  Ruler  of 
all  spirits  and  of  all  souls,  and  that  the  living  and  the  dead  are 
alike  in  Thy  hands.  From  Thee  I  received  Thy  glorious  Law ; 
I  saw  Thee  in  flame;  I  ascended'and  went  along  the  pathway 
toward  heaven  ;  girt  with  Thy  Power,  I  entered  the  palace  of 
Egypt's  king,  I  took  the  crown  from  off  the  head  of  the 
proud  Pharaoh,  and  did  manifold  signs  and  wonders  in  his 
land.  I  led  forth  Thy  people  and  parted  the  sea,  and  have 
made  known  Thy  Will  unto  the  sons  of  man.  I  dwelt  be- 
neath the  throne  of  Thy  Glory ;  my  hut  was  under  the  pillar 


265 

of  light,  and  I  have  spoken  with  Thee  face  to  face,  as  a  man 
speaketh  to  his  friend.  And  is  not  all  this  enough  for  me  ? 
Receive  me,  therefore,  for  now  I  come  to  Thee." 

The  Breath  of  the  Most  High  touched  the  lips  of  Moses, 
whose  soul  departed  in  the  touch.  So  did  Moses  die  at  the 
mouth  of  God,  who  Himself  buried  him;  and  no  man  know- 
eth  of  his  sepulchre  unto  this  day. 


THE  SONGS  OF  NIGHT. 

As  David,  in  his  youthful  days,  was  tending  his  flocks  on 
Bethlehem's  plains,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him,  and 
his  senses  were  opened  and  his  understanding  enlightened, 
that  he  might  comprehend  the  songs  of  the  night.  The 
heavens  proclaimed  the  Glory  of  God ;  the  glittering  stars  all 
formed  one  chorus ;  their  harmonious  melody  resounded  on 
earth,  and  the  sweet  fullness  of  their  voices  vibrated  to  its 
uttermost  bounds. 

"  Light  is  the  countenance  of  the  Eternal,"  sang  the  setting 
sun.  "  I  am  the  hem  of  His  garment,"  responded  the  rosy 
tint  of  twilight.  The  clouds  gathered  and  said:  "We  are  His 
nocturnal  pavilion;"  and  the  waters  in  the  clouds,  and  the 
hollow  voice  of  the  thunders  joined  in  the  lofty  chorus :  "  The 
Yoice  of  the  Eternal  is  upon  the  waters,  the  God  of  Glory 
thundereth ;  the  Lord  upon  the  waters." — "  He  doth  fly  upon 
my  wings,"  whispered  the  gliding  wind;  and  the  silent  air 
replied:  "I  am  the  Breath  of  God — the  aspiration  of  His 
benign  Presence." 

"We  hear  the  songs  of  praise,"  said  the  parched  earth; 
"  all  around  is  praise ;  I  alone  am  silent  and  mute  !  "  And  the 
falling  dew  replied :  "  I  will  nourish  thee,  so  that  thou  shalt 
be  refreshed  and  rejoiced,  and  thy  infants  shall  blossom  like 
the  young  rose." 

"  Joyfully  we  bloom,"  echoed  the  refreshed  meadows.  The 
full  ears  of  corn  waved  as  they  sung :  "  AVe  are  the  blessing  of 
God,  the  hosts  against  famine."—"  We  bless  you  from  above," 


266 

said  the  moon  ;  "  we  bless  you,"  responded  the  stars ;  and  the 
grasshopper  chirped :  t£  Me  too  He  blesses  in  the  pearly  dew- 
drops." — "  He  quenched  my  thirst,"  said  the  roe ;  "  and  re- 
freshed me,"  continued  the  stag  ;  "  and  grants  us  our  food," 
said  the  beasts  of  the  forest ;  "  and  clothes  my  lambs,"  grate- 
fully sang  the  sheep. 

"  He  heard  me,"  croaked  the  raven,  "  when  I  was  forsaken 
and  alone  ; " — "  He  heard  me,"  said  the  wild  goat  of  the  rocks,1'' 
when  my  time  came  and  I  calved."  And  the  turtle-dove 
cooed,  and  the  swallow  and  all  the  birds  joined  their  song : 
"  We  have  found  our  nests,  our  houses  ;  we  dwell  on  the  altar 
of  the  Lord,  sleep  under  the  shadow  of  His  wing  in  tran- 
quillity and  peace." 

"And  peace,"  replied  the  night,  and  Echo  prolonged  the 
sound,  when  chanticleer  awoke  the  dawn  and  crowed :  "  Open 
the  portals,  the  gates  of  the  world  !  The  King  of  Glory  is 
coming !  Awake !  arise  !  ye  sons  of  men,  give  praises  and 
thanks  to  the  Lord;  for  the  King  of  Glory  is  coming  !  " 
*  *****  * 

The  sun  rose  and  David  awoke  from  his  melodious  rapture. 
But  as  long  as  he  lived  the  strains  of  creation's  harmony  re- 
mained in  his  soul,  and  daily  they  sounded  from  the  strings  of 
his  harp. 

THE  DAWN. 

Hast  thou  seen  the  glorious  dawn,  the  beauteous  harbinger 
of  day  ?  Its  brilliancy  proceeds  from  the  apartment  of  God  ; 
a  ray  of  the  Imperishable  Light  that  brings  consolation  to 
mankind. 

******* 

As  David,  pursued  by  his  foes,  passed  a  dreadful  night  of 
agony  in  a  dismal  cleft  of  Hermon's  rock,  he  sung  the  most 
pathetic  of  his  Psalms :  "  Lions  and  tigers  roar  around  me  ; 
the  assembly  of  the  wicked  have  encompassed  me  and  no  help 
is  near."  When  behold  the  dawn  broke.  With  sparkling  eyes 
the  roe  of  morning  sprang  forth,  moved  over  hills  and  plains, 


267 

and,  like  a  messenger  of  the  Deity,  addressed  the  fugitive  on 
the  sterile  rock :  "  Why  dost  thou  complain  that  no  help  is 
near  ?  I  emerge  from  the  darkness  of  night,  and  its  terrors 
yield  and  vanish  before  the  genial  ray  of  the  cheerful  East." 

His  eye  continued  fixed  on  the  purple  hue  of  the  dawn,  and 
he  felt  consoled.  He  saw  it  rise,  followed  by  the  sun  in  all  his 
effulgence,  pouring  blessings  and  happiness  over  the  earth. 
Confidence  and  hope  once  more  entered  his  soul ;  his  plaintive 
lament  became  a  hymn  of  joy ;  he  called  it  "  the  roe  of  the 
morning,  the  song  of  the  rosy  dawn."  intyn  nVx  Often,  in 
after-times,  he  repeated  this  Psalm,  to  thank  his  God  for  those 
perils  of  his  early  years  which  he  had  overcome,  and,  amid 
the  sorrows  of  his  later  years,  that  Psalm  ever  cheered  his 
desponding  soul. 

******* 

Daughter  of  thy  Creator,  holy  dawn,  thou  who  every  morn- 
ing dost  look  down  and  rejuvenate  heaven  and  earth,  look  on 
me,  too,  and  renew  my  heart,  that  it  may  be  pure,  an  altar 
devoted  to  thy  Maker. 


THE  EOYAL  SINGER. 

The  royal  singer  had  sung  one  of  his  most  beautiful  Psalms 
to  the  glory  and  praise  of  Him  Who  had  been  his  help  in  every 
need.  The  last  notes  still  vibrated  on  the  strings  of  his  harp 
when  Satan  stood  beside  him  and  tempted  the  singer's  heart  to 
be  proud  of  his  song.  "  Among  all  Thy  creatures,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  hast  Thou,  O  Lord,  one  who  praises  Thee  more 
melodiously  than  I  do  ? " 

Through  the  open  window,  before  which  he  had  spread  his 
hands  in  prayer,  a  grasshopper  flew  into  the  king's  room,  and 
seated  itself  on  the  hem  of  his  robe.  She  began  her  clear 
matin-song;  a  number  of  grasshoppers  assembled  around  her. 
A  nightingale  came  and  soon  many  more  followed,  singing  in 
chorus  the  praises  of  God. 

The  ear  of  the  king  was  opened ;  he  heard  the  concert  of 
all  animated  nature :  the  splashing  of  the  brook,  the  rustling 


268 

of  the  woods,  the  voice  of  the  morning  star,  and  the  enraptur- 
ing song  of  the  rising  sun. 

Lost  in  the  harmony  of  the  voices  which  unceasingly  and 
unweariedly  sung,  the  king  remained  silent.  He  thought  his 
song  excelled  even  by  the  grasshoppers  which  still  chirped  on 
the  hem  of  his  robe.  Humility  again  entered  his  soul.  He 
seized  his  harp,  and  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  as  the  musical 
strings  resounded  with  his  enthusiasm :  u  Praise  ye  the 
Lord,"  he  sung,  "  all  His  creatures  ;  praise  thou,  likewise,  the 
Lord,  my  inmost  heart !  my  soul,  join  humbly  in  His  praise." 


THE   YOUTHFUL   SOLOMON. 

A  beneficent  monarch  once  spoke  to  his  favorite  and  said  : 
"Ask  a  boon  of  me  and  it  shall  be  granted  to  thee."  And  the 
youthful  favorite  said  within  himself  :  "  What  shall  I  demand 
that  I  may  not  hereafter  repent  of  my  request  ?  Honor  and 
distinction  I  do  already  possess ;  gold  and  silver  are  the  mean- 
est, as  they  are  the  most  faithless,  gifts  of  fortune  ;  these  are 
not  worthy  of  being  demanded.  No ;  I  will  pray  that  the 
king's  daughter  be  granted  me,  for  she  loves  me  as  I  love  her, 
and  in  her  I  receive  perfect  happiness.  This  request  will  also 
secure  to  me  the  affection  of  my  illustrious  benefactor,  who 
thus  becomes  my  father."  The  favorite  uttered  his  request 
and  it  was  granted.     *     *     * 

When  the  Lord  first  appeared  to  the  youthful  Solomon  in  a 
vision  of  the  night,  He  said  unto  him :  "Ask  what  I  shall  give 
thee."  And  behold  the  youth  prayed  not  for  gold  or  silver, 
for  honor,  fame,  or  long  life.  His  prayer  was :  "  Grant  me 
wisdom;"  and  with  her,  the  daughter  of  the  Most  High,  he 
received  every  felicity  for  which  he  could  have  prayed. 

To  her  he  dedicated  his  most  beautiful  songs ;  her  he  rec- 
ommended to  the  sons  of  men  as  the  only  true  source  of  hap- 
piness. As  long  as  he  continued  faithful  to  her  he  rejoiced  in 
the  blessings  of  God,  in  the  love  and  admiration  of  men.  And 
it  is  only  through  her  that  his  fame  survives  and  has  been  pre- 
served from  oblivion. 


260 

THE  AGED   SOLOMON. 

Luxury,  riches,  and  ambition  perverted  the  ripened  man- 
hood of  Solomon.  He  forgot  Wisdom,  the  pride  of  his  youth, 
and  his  heart  was  involved  and  weakened  in  the  vortex  of 
frivolous  dissipation  and  wicked  folly.  Once,  as  he  was  walk- 
ing in  his  splendid  gardens,  he  heard  the  conversation  of  the 
manifold  creatures  around  him  ;  for  he  understood  the  lan- 
guage of  beast  and  of  bird,  of  tree,  stone,  and  shrub.  He 
turned  his  ear  and  he  listened. 

"  Behold,"  said  the  lily,  "  there  goes  the  king ;  he  passes 
me  in  his  pride,  whilst  I,  in  my  humility,  am  robed  more 
splendid  than  he." 

And  the  palm-tree  waved  its  boughs,  and  said :  "  There  he 
goes,  the  oppressor  of  his  country;  and  yet  his  vile  flatterers 
in  their  fulsome  songs  presume  to  compare  him  to  me.  But 
where  are  his  boughs  ?  where  the  fruit  with  which  he  glad- 
dens the  hearts  of  men  ?  " 

And  the  turtle-dove  cooed  to  her  mate  :  "  Not  one  of  his 
thousand  wives  would  grieve  for  his  loss  as  I  would  for  thine, 
my  only  beloved."  And  as  he  went  on  he  heard  the  nightin- 
gale sing  to  her  beloved  :  "As  we  love  each  other  Solomon 
loveth  not.  O,  not  one  of  his  sultanas  holds  him  as  dear  as  I 
do  thee,  my  dearest." 

The  angry  monarch  hastened  his  pace,  and  he  came  to  the 
nest  where  the  stork  was  teaching  her  young  to  launch  forth 
on  their  adventurous  flight.  "  What  I  do  for  you,"  said  the 
stork  to  its  brood,  "  King  Solomon  does  not  do  for  his  son 
Rehoboam.  He  does  not  teach  and  exhort  him  ;  therefore  will 
the  young  prince  not  thrive.  Strangers  will  lord  over  his 
father's  domain." 

The  king  withdrew  to  his  secret  closet.  Musing,  he  sat 
there  in  silent  grief.  As  he  sat  there,  sunk  in  painful  reflec- 
tion, the  bride  of  his  youthful  years,  Wisdom,  stood  before 
him  and  touched  his  eyelids.  He  fell  into  a  deep  sleep  and 
had  a  melancholy  vision.  He  saw  the  deputation  of  the 
tribes  as  they  stood  before  his  haughty  son.  He  saw  his  em- 
pire divided  through  the  silly  answer  of  his  foolish  boy.     He 


270 

saw  ten  of  the  tribes  he  had  oppressed  rebel,  and  place  a 
stranger  on  their  throne.  He  saw  his  palaces  in  ruins ;  his 
gardens  rooted  up  ;  the  city  destroyed ;  the  Temple  of  the 
Lord  in  ashes.  Suddenly  he  awoke  from  his  sleep,  and  terror 
seized  on  his  troubled  mind. 

When  lo !  once  more  the  bride  of  his  youth,  the  guardian 
of  his  early  career,  stood  visibly  before  him.  Tears  flowed 
from  her  eyes.  She  spoke :  "  Thou  hast  seen  what  hereafter 
will  happen.  Thou  alone  art  the  original  cause  of  all  these 
calamities.  But  it  is  not  in  thy  power  to  recall  or  alter  the 
past.  Thou  canst  as  little  bid  the  years  of  thy  youth  return, 
as  make  the  river  flow  back  to  its  springs.  Thy  soul  is  wear- 
ied, thy  heart  is  exhausted,  and  I,  the  forsaken  of  thy  youth, 
can  no  more  be  thy  companion  in  the  land  of  terrestial  life." 

With  pity  in  her  look  she  vanished,  and  Solomon,  who  had 
crowned  his  youthful  days  with  roses,  wrote  in  his  old  age  a 
book  on  the  vanity  of  all  human  affairs  on  earth. 


ELIJAH. 


Elijah  was  of  a  fiery  spirit,  and  with  a  spirit  of  fire  he  per- 
formed his  prophetic  office.  He  called  flames  down  from 
heaven,  and  he  consumed  his  own  life  in  his  zeal.  Weary  and 
exhausted,  he  withdrew  from  the  haunts  of  men.  In  the 
dreary  desert  he  threw  himself  under  a  juniper-tree  and 
sighed :  "  It  is  enough.  Now,  O  Lord,  take  my  soul  unto 
Thee."  And  an  angel  of  the  Lord  braced  and  strengthened 
him,  and  he  reached  the  mountain  of  Horeb,  where  the  Lord 
removed  the  burden  of  his  prophetic  calling  from  his  shoul- 
ders, and  directed  him  to  anoint  another  in  his  stead.  And 
when,  with  the  anointed  Elisha,  Elijah  came  to  the  river  Jordan 
a  fiery  chariot  and  fiery  horses  appeared.  The  two  companions 
were  separated,  and  Elijah  ascended  to  the  throne. 

The  first  who  appeared  to  him  in  the  regions  of  bliss  was 
Moses,  his  prototype.  He  reached  Elijah  his  right  hand 
through  the  purified  flames  of  the  fiery  chariot,  and  said  to 
him  :  "  Thou  hast  been  zealous,  my  brother ;  thy  zeal  has  been 


271 

ardent,  and  thou  hast  suffered  much  from  thy  brethren.  I 
have  suffered  likewise;  still  I  prayed  for  their  preservation, 
and  offered  my  soul  as  a  ransom  for  theirs.  Nevertheless,  ap- 
proach the  throne  of  the  Judge,  the  All-Merciful." 

With  trembling  steps  Elijah  advanced  toward  the  Glory  of 
the  throne.  "  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah  ?  "  demanded  a 
voice  from  out  of  the  throne.  He  answered :  "  I  have  been 
very  zealous  for  the  Lord  Zebaoth;  for  Israel  has  forsaken  Thy 
covenant,  thrown  down  Thine  altars,  and  slain  Thy  prophets 
with  the  sword.  I  only  was  left,  and  they  sought  my  life,  to 
take  it  away." 

And  a  fire  went  forth  from  the  Glory  of  the  throne,  but  the 
Lord  was  not  in  the  fire.  And  a  wind  went  forth  from  the 
throne,  strong  and  irresistible ;  it  rent  the  mountains,  and 
broke  in  pieces  the  rocks ;  but  the  Lord  was  not  in  the  wind. 

The  wind  and  the  fire  had  passed,  when  a  still  small  voice 
was  heard.  A  sensation  never  before  experienced  penetrated 
the  prophet,  and  the  flame  of  his  spirit  became  chastened  like 
the  radiance  of  dawn. 

"  Eest  thou  here,  Elijah  ; "  said  the  Voice.  "  Kepose  and 
gain  new  vigor  after  thy  toils;  for  the  Lord  is  merciful  and 
benevolent.  Thou  shalt  often  again  descend  to  the  sons  of 
men  ;  thou  shalt  teach  but  with  mild  kindness  ;  thou  shalt  con- 
sole and  aid  them  with  thy  love ;  nor  longer  punish  them  in 
thy  zeal ;  for  the  Lord  is  gracious." 

And  often  since  has  Elijah  visited  mankind,  but  in  a  differ- 
ent spirit  from  that  which  animated  him  during  his  earthly 
sojourn.  What  before  was  ardent  jealousy  is  now  loving  be- 
nignity ;  what  was  fiery  zeal  is  now  mildness  and  benevolence 
Invisibly,  or  in  an  assumed  shape,  he  guides  the  conversation 
of  those  who  seek  true  wisdom,  and  imites  their  souls.  He  it 
is  who  turns  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  their  children,  and 
the  hearts  of  the  children  to  their  parents.  Harbinger  of 
good,  he  aids  the  righteous  in  the  hour  of  danger,  and  is  ever 
present  to  solace  and  strengthen  those  who  pray.  His  office  it 
is  to  proclaim  to  mankind  the  coming  of  the  great  and  dread- 
ful day  of  the  Lord. 


272 

SAMAEL. 

When  the  Lord  first  made  man  out  of  the  dust,  and  had 
crowned  the  perishable  frame  with  the  diadem  of  His  likeness, 
He  presented  His  latest  creation  to  the  angelic  hosts  of  heaven. 
Joyfully  the  angels  saluted  their  younger  brother ;  cheerfully 
they  attended  his  bridal  feast  celebrated  in  Paradise.  One 
only  of  them  scorned  the  earth-born  creature.  "  Am  I  not 
formed  out  of  light  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  "  while  thou  art  but  dust 
of  the  earth  ?  The  fiery  stream  which  flows  from  the  Throne 
of  Glory  forms  my  essence,  while  the  frail,  perishable  mould  is 
thy  substance." 

And  behold  !  the  stream  of  light  departed  from  him  !  As 
melts  the  snow,  the  glorious  raiment  which  ornamented  him 
with  its  radiance  vanished,  the  proudest  of  spirits  became  the 
meanest,  stripped  of  that  power  which  was  not  his  own.  *  *  * 

Inflamed  with  rage,  he  withdrew  from  the  celestial  hosts, 
and  vowed  vengeance  against  man,  the  innocent  cause  of  his 
fall.  "  I  have  become  unhappy  through  you,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  and  you  shall  become  unhappy  through  me  !  "  He  had  heard 
the  Divine  decree  which  prohibited  Adam  from  eating  the 
pernicious  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge.  He  collected  the 
lost  rays  of  his  withered  radiance  and  tried  to  seduce  them  in 
the  guise  of  an  angel  of  light.  But  the  snow  melted,  out  of 
which  he  strove  to  form  his  garment,  and,  when  he  trod  the 
path  of  the  seducer,  he  appeared  in  the  semblance  of  the 
serpent.  Nothing  remained  of  the  shining  seraph  who  hid 
himself  beneath  the  glossy  colors  of  the  glittering  snake. 

Eve  saw  and  admired  him.  She  soon  was  seduced.  She  ate 
death,  and  reached  to  her  husband  the  fruit  of  death.  Sorrow 
and  misery  sprang  from  their  deed,  an  inheritance  to  their 
latest  descendants. 

The  Creator  appeared.  He  judged  the  seduced  with  mercy, 
but  vigorously  He  punished  the  seducing  serpent.  Accursed,  it 
became  a  loathsome  and  detested  reptile,  crawling  on  earth. 
"  Because  it  has  been  thy  delight,"  He  spoke  to  Samael,  "  to 
make  others  unhappy,  let  joy  at  the  grief  and  misery  of  others 
be  henceforth  thy  unhallowed  portion." — Exiled  from  the  hosts 


273 

of  the  blessed,  denied  all  participation  in  their  blissful  pursuits 
which  once  he  shared  with  them,  Samael  roams  accursed,  the 
executioner  of  his  own   fearful    punishment — the  angel  of 

DEATH. 


THE  CONFORMATION  OF  MAN. 

The  Creator  descended  ;  all  the  angels,  the  princes,  and  the 
elements  beheld  and  contemplated  his  work.  He  called  to  the 
dust,  and  it  gathered  itself  from  all  the  quarters  of  the  terres- 
trial globe.  And  the  angel  of  earth  said :  "  This  frame  will 
be  a  mortal  creature  wheresoever  it  dwells  upon  earth,  for  it  is 
dust,  and  must  return  unto  dust."  He  called  on  the  heavenly 
cloud  to  moisten  the  dust.  Soon  the  clay  began  to  heave  and 
shape  itself  into  vessels  and  compartments.  And  the  angel 
of  the  waters  exclaimed  :  "  Thou  wilt  require  nourishment, 
thou  curiously-constructed  creature  !  Hunger  and  thirst  will 
become  inseparable  from  thy  being."  Inwardly  the  veins  and 
the  cells  began  to  be  formed  ;  the  several  outward  limbs  as- 
sumed their  shape,  and  the  angel  of  life  said  :  u  Thou  wilt  be 
subject  to  many  desires,  beautiful  work  of  creation  !  Love  of 
thy  species  will  attract  and  impel  thee." 

The  Creator  approached  with  His  daughters  Wisdom  and 
Love.  With  paternal  tenderness  He  raised  the  inanimate  clay, 
and  breathed  into  it  life  and  immortality.  Man  stood  erect ;  de- 
lighted he  looked  around.  "  Behold,"  said  the  voice  of  the 
Most  High,  "  all  the  growth  of  the  meadows  and  trees,  all 
the  animals  that  dwell  upon  earth,  I  have  given  to  thee.  Thy 
fatherland,  the  earth,  is  thine,  and  thou  shall  rule  it.  But  thou 
thyself  art  Mine :  thy  breath  is  My  gift,  and  when  thy  time 
cometh  I  summon  it  unto  Myself." 

Wisdom  and  Love,  the  offsprings  of  God,  stayed  with  the 
new  lord  of  the  earth,  instructing  him  to  know  animate  and 
inanimate  creation.  They  conversed  with  him  as  loving 
friends,  and  their  light  remained  with  innocent  man. 

Man  lives  his  allotted  time  on  earth.  Happy  if  Wisdom 
and  love  deign  to  cheer  him   with  their  inestimable  gifts! 


276 

When  the  Lord  loves  a  man,  He  gives  him  the  mate  who  is 
his,  formed  for  him  ont  of  his  own  heart,  and  she  becomes  his 
wife.  Sensible  that  they  were  created  for  each  other,  they 
become  one  in  daily-renewed  contentment,  and  the  happiness 
of  sympathetic  union.  But  lie  who  desires  the  possession  of 
outward  charms  only,  and  longs  for  a  'being  that  appertains 
not  to  him,  is  punished  by  wedding  a  mate  who  is  not  his,  nor 
formed  out  of  his  own  heart.  Thus  the  two  souls  forced  into 
one  by  a  compulsive  union,  and  soon  sensible  that  they  were 
not  created  for  each  other,  indulge  in  mutual  hatred,  and  tor- 
ment one  another  till  separated  by  death. 


THE  VINE. 

On  the  day  of  their  creation  the  trees  rejoiced,  each  exult- 
ingly  praising  its  own  good  qualities.  "  The  Lord  hath  planted 
me,"  said  the  majestic  cedar ;  "  firmness  and  fragrance,  dura- 
bility and  strength  are  united  in  me."-"  The  mercy  of  the 
Lord  hath  planted  me  as  a  blessing,"  replied  the  umbrageous 
palm-tree.  "  In  me  beauty  and  utility  are  combined." — The 
apple-tree  said :  "  I  stand  glorious  among  the  trees,  like  the 
sun  amid  the  heavenly  hosts."  And  the  myrtle  remarked  dis- 
dainfully :  "  Like  the  rose  among  thorns  I  stand  distinguished 
among  my  kindred,  the  underwood."  All  boasted — the  fig- 
tree  of  its  fruit,  the  olive  of  its  richness ;  even  the  pine-tree 
and  the  fir  could  rejoice  and  exult. 

The  vine  alone  remained  drooping  and  silent.  "  To  me,"  it 
sadly  cried,  "everything  seems  denied;  stem  nor  branches, 
blossom  nor  fruit,  can  I  boast ;  yet,  such  as  I  am,  I  will  wait  in 
silent  hope."  It  sank  down,  and  its  tendrils  wept  in  silent  sol- 
itude. 

Not  long  did  it  wait  and  weep,  when,  behold,  the  new- 
created  sovereign  of  earth,  kind-hearted  man,  approached.  He 
saw  a  feeble  plant,  the  sport  of  the  winds,  sunk  low,  as  if  im- 
ploring his  aid.  In  pity  he  raised  it,  and  wound  the  tender 
tree  round  his  arbor.  The  air  joyfully  saluted  the  glowing 
vine,  the  heat  of  the  sun  penetrated  its  hard,  green  grains, 


I  I 


and  prepared  that  sweet  juice,  the  most  precious  beverage  of 
mankind.  Decked  out  in  the  fullness  of  its  rich  grapes,  the 
vine  bent  down  to  its  preserver  ;  he  tasted  its  refreshing  juice, 
and  called  the  vine  his  friend.  The  proud  trees  envied  the 
feeble  plant,  for  its  fruit  was  more  valued  than  theirs  ;  but  it 
rejoiced  in  its  tender  stem  and  the  fulfillment  of  its  bopes. 
Therefore  doth  its  juice  still  invigorate  the  human  heart;  it 
cheers  the  desponding  spirit,  and  imparts  gladness  to  the 
mourning  mind.     *     *     * 

Ye  who  are  suffering  and  abandoned,  do  not  despair,  but 
persevere  in  patience  and  hope.  There  is  an  Eye  above,  which 
beholds  even  you.  The  humblest  plant  yields  the  most  de- 
licious juice;  the  feeble  vine  begets  vigor  and  animation. 


THE  SHEPHERD  IN  A  VISION. 

In  the  silent  midnight  hour  preceding  the  vernal  festival  on 
which  the  first  brothers  were  to  bring  their  offerings  of  grati- 
tude to  the  Creator,  Eve,  their  mother,  beheld  in  a  dream  a 
wondrous  vision.  The  white  roses,  which  her  younger  son 
had  planted  round  his  altar,  changed  their  hue.  They  looked 
more  blood-red,  more  fully  blown  than  any  she  had  ever  seen. 
She  tried  to  pluck  them,  but  they  withered  at  her  touch.  On 
the  altar  lay  a  bleeding  lamb.  Plaintive  voices  rose  around 
her,  and  among  them  rang  a  shriek  of  piercing  despair,  till  all 
were  lost,  mingled  in  a  heavenly  harmony,  the  like  of  which 
she  had  never  heard  before. 

And  a  picturesque  plain  spread  before  her  gaze,  more  beau- 
tiful than  even  the  paradise  of  her  youth.  <  hi  it  a  shepherd 
in  the  shape  and  image  of  her  son,  arrayed  in  robes  of  daz- 
zling white,  tended  his  flocks.  The  red  roses  made  a  garland 
which  entwined  his  brows,  and  in  his  hand  he  held  a  lute,  from 
which  issued  forth  the  symphony  of  heaven.  His  mild  eye 
beamed  affectionately  on  her,  but  when  she  approached  to  take 
his 'hand  he  vanished,  and  with  him  the  vision  of  the  night. 

The  mother  of  mankind  arose  as  the  purple  dawn  bright- 
ened the  sky,  and  with  a  heavy  heart  she  proceeded  to  the 


278 

festival.  The  brothers  brought  their  sacrifice,  and  their  parents 
departed.  Evening  came,  but  her  sons  returned  not.  Their 
anxious  mother  went  forth  to  seek  them.  She  found  Abel's 
flocks  scattered  and  mournfully  lowing.  He  himself  lay  life- 
less at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  His  blood  dyed  the  roses  he  had 
planted,  while  Cain's  groans  of  anguish  reached  her  ear  from 
a  neighboring  cavern. 

Fainting,  she  sank  on  the  corpse  of  her  son,  when  again  the 
vision  of  her  last  dream  rose  before  her.  Abel  was  the  shep- 
herd whom  she  had  seen  in  the  magnificent  fields  of  the  new 
paradise.  The  red  roses  were  twined  round  his  brows ;  in  his 
hand  he  held  a  harp,  and  his  soft  accents  fell  soothingly  on  her 
ear  as  he  sang  to  her :  "  Look  up  to  the  heavens,  to  the  stars 
look  up,  all  weeping  as  thou  art,  my  mother.  Behold  yon 
chariot  bright,  it  leads  to  fields  more  blooming,  to  an  Eden 
more  glorious  than  thou  ever  sawest  in  paradise ;  where  the 
blood-stained  rose  of  suffering  innocence  blooms  in  celestial 
splendor,  and  its  sighs  are  turned  into  tunes  of  rapture." 

The  vision  vanished.  With  a  strengthened  mind  and  hope- 
ful resignation,  Eve  rose  from  the  lifeless  body  of  her  son. 
The  next  morn  his  parents  bedewed  it  with  their  hot  tears, 
wound  it  with  the  roses  died  in  his  life-blood,  and  buried  him 
at  the  foot  of  the  altar  he  had  raised  to  the  Lord,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  blushing  dawn,  which  spread  her  Orient  glories  over 
the  Eastern  skies. 

Often  they  sat  at  his  tomb  in  the  silent  hour  of  midnight, 
their  eyes  turned  to  the  starry  firmament.  There  they  sought 
their  beloved  shepherd,  there  they  hoped  to  meet  him  again. 


THE  DEATH  OF  ADAM. 

Nine  hundred  and  thirty  years  had  passed  from  the  moment 
when  the  Breath  of  the  Creator  gave  life  to  the  clay,  when 
Adam  felt  within  him  the  sentence  of  the  Supreme  Judge: 
"  Thou  shalt  surely  die."—"  Let  all  my  sons  appear  before  me, 
let  them  all  come  that  I  may  see  and  bless  them,"  said  he  to 
weeping   Eve.     Many  hundreds   in  number,  his  descendants 


279 

came,  all  standing  around  him,  praying  and  weeping  for  his 
life. — "  Who  among  you,"  said  Adam,  "  will  ascend  the  holy 
mount?  Perhaps  he  may  find  mercy  for  me  and  bring  me 
the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  life."  All  his  sons  rose,  each  was 
willing  to  go,  but  the  father  selected  Seth,  the  most  pious,  to 
be  the  messenger  of  imploring  pity. 

Robed  in  mourning,  Seth  hastened  on  and  soon  stood  before 
the  gates  of  Eden,  imploring :  "  Let  him  find  mercy,  All- 
Merciful  ;  send  my  father  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  life."  Sud- 
denly a  radiant  cherub  stood  before  him,  in  his  hand  a  branch 
with  one  solitary  leaf,  not  the  fruit  of  life.  "  Convey  it  to 
thy  father  to  cheer  his  parting  hour,"  said  he,  "for  eternal  life 
dwells  not  on  earth.     But  haste  on,  for  his  hour  is  come." 

Seth  hurried  to  the  death-bed  of  his  father:  "  This  branch 
an  angel  sends  to  cheer  thy  parting  hour ;  it  is  not  the  fruit 
from  the  tree  of  life."  Adam  took  the  branch  and  rejoiced, 
inhaling  the  odor  which  invigorated  his  soul.  "Everlasting 
life  we  find  not  on  earth,  my  children,"  said  he;  "you  all  will 
follow  me,  but  in  this  leaf  I  breathe  the  air  of  another  world 
of  immortality."  With  this  his  eyes  closed  and  his  spirit  fled. 
All  the  children  wept,  except  Seth,  who  planted  the  branch  ;tt 
the  head  of  his  father's  tomb,  and  called  it  the  branch  of 
renovated  life,  awaking  from  death. 


SOL: 

AN  EPIC  POEM. 
By  Henry  Iliowizi. 

Minneapolis  Journal: — Rabbi  Iliowizi  has  given  years  to  the  composition  of 
this  epic,  which,  in  so  far  as  it  portrays  the  traditions,  hopes,  virtues,  and  aspira- 
tions of  his  own  people,  has  been  to  him  a  labor  of  love.  As  a  poem  it  is  rich  in 
incident  and  majestic  in  movement — a  touching,  beautiful  story,  admirably  told, 
abounding  in  passages  of  true  poetic  fervor  and  dramatic  power.  While  con! 
gratulating  our  townsman  upon  the  unusual  merit  of  his  poem,  we  bespeak  for  it 
a  hearty  welcome  among  our  people.  Its  theme  and  treatment  commend  it  alike 
to  Israelite  and  Christian.  Loyalty  to  home  talent  should  give  this  work  a  place 
in  every  Minneapolis  library. 

St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press:— The  author  treats  his  subject  with  much  poetic  vigor. 
Beautiful  similes  abound.  Scenes  are  vividly  set  forth.  Of  course,  in  a  work  of 
this  kind,  there  must  be  a  suggestion  of  the  "  Divine  Comedy,"  but, nevertheless 
this  poem  is  filled  with  fresh  conceptions  eloquently  expressed.  Perhaps  Mr! 
Tliowizi  relied  a  little  too  much  on  the  interest  of  the  story  for  carrying  the  reader 
through  the  monotony  of  rhyme.     The  tale  is  certainly  thrilling  enough  to  do  this. 

Chicago  Journal : — The  reverend  author  of  this  epic  claims  for  it  an  historic 
ground.  It  is  the  story  of  a  Hebrew  maiden  who  suffered  a  martyr's  death  in 
Morocco,  about  half  a  century  ago.  Mr.  Iliowizi's  poem,  which  is  the  work  of 
years,  will  be  read  with  interest  and  pleasure,  not  only  by  the  people  of  his  own 
race,  but  by  the  Christian  also. 

The  Jewish  Messenger  of  New  York: — These  thrilling  incidents  have  been  skill- 
fully seized  upon  by  the  author  for  his  epic.  Throughout  the  book  the  author 
displays  a  force  and  eloquence  which  are  promising  for  his  future.  His  style  is 
often  pithy  and  epigrammatic,  and  we  feel  confident  that,  with  study  and  practice 
his  literary  gifts  will  give  him  a  worthy  place  among  the  writers  of  the  day. 

The  Occident  of  Chicago: — The  author  exhibits  a  dexterous  pen  in  giving  the 
tragic  end  of  Sol.  The  liues  run  smoothly,  and  much  poetic  fervor  is  lent  to  each 
canto.  Altogether,  it  presents  a  very  interesting  volume,  which  is  neatly  printed, 
and,  though  not  wholly  free  from  typographical  mistakes,  will  prove  a  welcome 
adjunct  to  modern  literature. 

The  Interior  of  Chicago : — "  Sol,"  an  Epic  Poem,  by  Rev.  Henry  Iliowizi. — 
This  poem  is  appropriately  dedicated  to  Sir  Moses  Montefiore,  the  venerable  phi- 
lanthropist, whose  magnificent  charities  have  made  him  known  the  world  over. 
It  details  with  fitting  accompaniments  the  sad  story  of  the  persecution  and  tragic 
death  of  Sol,  a  Jewish  maiden,  who  suffered  martyrdom  in  Morocco.  Becoming 
acquainted,  during  a  residence  in  Morocco,  with  the  circumstances  attending  the 
maiden's  death,  the  author  then  resolved  to  make  it  an  epic  poem,  lie  has 
accomplished  his  self-imposed  task,  after  years  of  assiduous  labor,  and  he  now 
gives  the  work  to  the  public  with  a  hope  that  it  may  lead  to  a  more  favorable 
appreciation  of  a  race  whose  virtues,  he  thinks,  are  their  own,  while  their  short- 
comings are  the  natural  results  of  a  long,  dark,  and  painful  history,  tor  which  he 
holds  the  Gentile,  and  not  the  Jew,  responsible.  Let  that  pass.  It  is  certain  that 
Rabbi  Iliowizi  has  given  us  an  epic  marked  by  rare  poetic  ability — a  grand  poem 
which,  while  felicitously  and  powerfully  portraying  the  aspirations,  the  hopes, 
the  sufferings,  and  the  traditions  of  his  own  people  in  connection  with  the  sad  end 
of  Sol,  the  heroic  maiden,  forcibly  appeals  to  the  warm  sympathies  and  kindly 
feelings  of  all  Christian  people.  Gentiles  and  Jews  will  read  this  remarkable 
epic  with  almost  equal  pleasure.  All  admirers  of  epic  poetry  will  appreciate  and 
enjoy  its  majestic  movement,  its  vivid  descriptions,  and  its  glowing  imagery.     In 

a  second  edition,  which  must  soon  be  called  for,  the  author  pr ises  : -reetion 

of  some  typographical  errors  which  appear  in  the  first.     He  resides  in    Minne- 
apolis, Minn. 

PRICE,  $1.00. 

Address  Henry  Iliowizi, 

1845  North  Eighteenth  Street,  Philadelphia. 


HEROD: 

AN   HISTORIC  TRAGEDY  IN  FIVE  ACTS. 
By  Henry  Iliowizi. 

Minneapolis  Tribune :— This  theme,  imbodying  a  long  succession  of  criminal 
intrigue,  is  well  adapted  to  the  method  of  treatment  he  has  bestowed  upon  it, 
and  proves  good  material  for  a  tragic  play.  It  may  he  said  of  this  tragedy,  as  of 
Rabbi  Iliowizi's  earlier  poem,  "  Sol,"  that  it  proves  the  author's  possession  of  the 
poetic  spirit,  and  of  the  ability  not  only  to  conceive,  but  to  materialize,  dramatic 
action. 

Minneapolis  Journal  .-—Artistically  it  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired,  save  a  little 
more  nicety  of  phrase,  which  may  be  acquired  by  a  study  of  the  best  English 
models  of  our  own  day,  rather  than  those  of  the  times  of  Elizabeth  and  Queen 
Anne,  when  the  dramatist  was  allowed  a  license  not  at  all  permissible  at  present. 
The  principal  personage  of  the  drama  is  King  Herod,  whose  crimes  form  one  of 
the  darkest  passages  of  history.  The  gory  tragedy,  full  of  treachery  and  murder, 
moves  inexorably  to  its  final  act,  the  beheading  of  Mariamne  at  the  command  of 
Herod,  who  is  led  to  this  appalling  crime  by  jealousy.  Finding  his  wife  inno- 
cent, he  recalls  his  order  for  her  execution,  but  too  late.  He  then,  in  despair, 
seeks  to  end  his  own  life,  but  is  prevented  by  his  brother  Pheroras. 

Jewish  Messenger  of  New  York :— Rev.  H.  Iliowizi  has  just  published  in  neat 
pamphlet  form  an  historic  tragedy,  "Herod,"  depicting  scenes  and  characters 
in  that  monarch's  life.  The  execution  of  Queen  Mariamne  forms  the  climax. 
The  author  has  decided  literary  tastes,  and  his  ambition  in  choosing  to  write  a 
tragedy  in  blank  verse  is  not  to  be  questioned.  We  discern  fair  progress  in  his 
style.  The  movement  is  rapid  throughout,  and  the  author  wields  a  strong  and 
picturesque  pen. 

The  Occident:— A  few  weeks  ago  Rev.  Henry  Iliowizi,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
laid  on  our  table  his  latest  work,  "  Herod,"  an  historic  tragedy  in  five  acts.  We 
regret  that  we  were,  until  now,  unable  to  give  our  attention  to  this  exceedingly 
well-written  dramatic  play.  We  read  this  work  with  interest,  and  have  derived 
great  pleasure  from  it.  The  lives  of  the  ambitious,  envious,  and  jealous  King 
Herod,  and  his  gentle,  innocent,  and  unfortunate  queen,  Mariamne,  the  descend- 
ant of  the  heroic  house  of  Asmoneus,  are  rich  in  tragic  events,  and  the  author  of 
"  Herod  "  makes  very  good  use  of  the  historic  material.  The  character  of  Herod, 
as  well  as  that  of  Mariamne— the  leading  names  of  the  dramatis  persona— is  very 
truthfully  depicted.  The  author's  imagination  is  vivid,  his  language  eloquent 
and  highly  poetic,  except  in  some  of  the  monologues,  where  the  author  endeavors 
to  imitate  some  of  the  old  English  dramatists:  attempting  to  portray  the  deep 
agitations  of  burning  passions  or  overwhelming  sufferings  in  short  but  striking 
sentences,  it  lacks  the  polish  and  smoothness  of  the  old  masters.  But  the  author 
is  young  and  highly  gifted,  and  more  experience  will  improve  his  style.  We 
already  notice  a  decided  improvement  in  his  language.  "  Herod,"  as  well  as  his 
previously  published  poem,  "Sol,"  makes  us  wish  that  the  young  author  may 
continue  to  employ  his  brilliant  literary  talents  and  poetic  ability,  for  he  is  sure 
to  find  a  lofty  place  in  the  temple  of  fame,  and  his  name  will  yet  reflect  honor 

upon  his  people. 

PRICE,  75  CENTS. 

Address  Henry  Iliowizi, 

1845  North  Eighteenth  Street,  Philadelphia. 


JOSEPH: 

A   DRAMA. 
By  ETenry  Iliowizi. 

Hebrew  Observer : — The  author  of  this  dramatic  poem,  in  chaste  and  classical 
language,  presents  a  graceful  histrionic  pen-picture  of  the  Biblical  narrative. 
Though  many  a  dramatic  effort  has  heretofore  been  devoted  to  "Joseph  and  his 
Brethren,"  Mr.  Iliowizi  is  quite  original  in  his  composition,  and  exhibits  much  of 
poetic  vigor  and  beauty  in  the  delineation  of  touching  incidents  in  the  life  of 
Jacob's  favorite  son.  This  epic,  comprising  seven  tableaux,  is  intended  and 
adapted  for  amateur  performances,  and  Young  Men's  Hebrew  Associations  and 
other  Literary  Societies  should  secure  a  copy  for  representation  on  the  stage. 

Our  Church  : — The  author  is  singularly  fortunate  in  his  subject.  Probably  no 
Old  Testament  name  suggests  more  of  popular  interest  and  supplies  richer  mate- 
rial for  an  amateur  drama  than  that  of  Jacob's  favorite  son.  The  theme  loses 
none  of  its  interest  and  value  in  Mr.  Qiowizi's  hand.  "We  can  cordially  recom- 
mend it  to  our  young  people  as  especially  appropriate  for  a  church  or  Sunday- 
school  entertainment. 

Jewish  Messenger: — Bev.  Henry  Iliowizi,  of  Minneapolis,  has  just  published  a 
little  work  adapted  for  presentation  before  Y.  M.  H.  A.  audiences.  It  is  entitled 
"  Joseph,"  a  dramatic  representation  in  seven  tableaux.  It  shows  care  and  lone 
in  its  composition. 

Minneapolis  Tribune: — The  Bev.  Henry  Iliowizi,  Rabbi  of  Minneapolis,  well 
known  to  the  reading  public  as  the  author  of  "  Sol,"  an  epic  poem,  and  "  Herod," 
an  historical  tragedy,  has  recently  published  a  drama  entitled  "Joseph."  The 
story  of  Joseph  is  told  with  considerable  force  and  dramatic  effect  in  a  series  of 
seven  tableaux.  It  is  intended  for  amateur  representation,  but  is  equally  inter- 
esting for  private  reading. 

The  Jewish  Free  Press :— Bev.  Henry  Iliowizi,  the  "poet  Babbi  "  of  the  North- 
west, has  sent  us  a  copy  of  his  latest  published  work,  an  historical  drama  en- 
titled "  Joseph."  In  his  former  productions,  "  Sol "  and  "  Herod,"  Mr.  Iliowizi 
displayed  poetical  ability,  and  now  the  flowing  lines  in  "Joseph"  give  him  an 
undisputed  claim  for  working  his  favorite  style,  the  epic.  The  theme,  dealing 
with  the  sale  into  slavery  of  Joseph,  the  rise  to  the  position  of  ruler  in  Egypt, 
the  famine,  the  remorse  of  his  guilty  brothers,  and  the  grand  grief  of  the  old 
patriarch  Jacob,  is  one  which  affords  abundant  material  for  a  first-class  drama, 
and  that  Mr.  Iliowizi  has  made  out  of  it.  Evidently  it  was  a  labor  of  love  with 
the  "poet  Babbi,"  this  dramatizing  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful  events  in  Jewish 
history.  He  seizes  upon  every  incident,  and  "Joseph"  is  a  veritable  canvas- 
picture,  a  graceful  epic.  The  work  is  read  on  to  the  end  with  increasing  interest ; 
the  chaste  language,  grave  yet  simple,  unfolding  the  tale,  delights  without  weary- 
ing. Mr.  Iliowizi  is  a  successful  playwright,  and  it  is  hoped  that  "Joseph  "  is 
by  no  means  the  last  of  his  dramatic  efforts.  Taken  from  the  standard  of  a 
"working  play"  we  can  warmly  recommend  it  to  the  different  Literary  and 
Young  Men's  Hebrew  Associations  of  the  country.  The  acts  are  easily  set ;  the 
chorus,  when  well  trained,  and  the  many  tableaux,  give  rare  opportunities  for 
the  display  of  histrionic  talent  of  our  young  people.    There  has  been  too  much 


struggling  after  difficult  plays,  but  now  that  one  is  put  into  their  hands  giving  a 
fine  field  for  the  amateur,  we  would  like  to  see  it  on  the  "  boards  "  at  our  club- 
houses the  coming  winter.  The  characters  are  historical ;  the  different  spoken 
pieces  heroic,  and  the  climax  thrilling:  all  pointing  to  Henry  Iliowizi  as  a  poet 
of  the  first  order,  and  a  credit  to  Jewish  talent  in  America. 

Rev.  Dr.  Felsenthal  of  Chicago :— Rev.  Henry  Iliowizi,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Dear  Sir  : — This  afternoon  the  postman  delivered  to  me  a  copy  of  your  new 
drama,  "  Joseph,"  which  you  so  kindly  have  forwarded  to  me.  Accept  my  sincere 
thanks— not  only  for  the  copy  you  have  sent  me,  but  also  still  more  so  for  your 
enrichment  of  our  Jewish  literature,  which,  until  now,  was  so  very  poorly  repre- 
sented in  the  English  language.  I  could  only  glance  over  the  pages  of  your 
drama,  but  this  hasty  glance  was  sufficient  to  convince  me  that  there  is  a  genuine 
poetic  spirit  in  my  colleague  who,  as  minister,  presides  over  the  Jewish  congre- 
gation in  Minneapolis.  It  shall  be  a  pleasure  to  me  to  recommend  your  book, 
and  I  should  be  pleased  once  to  see  your  drama  performed  "  auf  den  Brettern,  die 
die  Welt  bedeuten."  From  such  a  pulpit,  perhaps,  our  young  people  might  be 
reached  more  effectively  than  from  our  Temple  pulpits.     I  remain,  dear  sir, 

Yours  respectfully, 

B.  FELSENTHAL. 

The  University  of  Minnesota, 
Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  December  5th,  1885. 
My  Dear  Sir:— Please  accept  my  very  hearty  thanks  for  a  copy  of  your 
drama  "Joseph."    It  is  a  work  of  great  merit,  and  I  shall  take  great  pleasure  in 
bringing  it  to  the  notice  of  our  Literary  Societies. 

Very  truly  yours, 

'  CYRUS  NORTHRUP, 

President. 

PRICE,  50  CENTS. 


THROUGH  MOROCCO  TO  MINNESOTA; 

OR, 

LIFE  IN  THREE  CONTINENTS. 
By  Henry  Iliowizi. 

Jewish  Chronicle  of  London.—"  Through  Morocco  to  Minnesota  "  is  the  title 
of  a  well-written  little  book  by  Rabbi  Henry  Iliowizi,  lately  minister  in  Minne- 
apolis and  now  in  Philadelphia.  In  well-chosen  language,  Mr.  Iliowizi  gives  in- 
teresting sketches  of  life  in  three  continents— Europe,  Africa,  and  America— he 
having  been  for  some  time  teacher  at  the  Alliance  School  at  Tetuan  on  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  in  London  and  Paris. 

PRICE,  50  CENTS. 

Address  Henry  Iliowizi, 

1845  North  Eighteenth  Street,  Philadelphia. 


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